Crono's Story - Yush Saga (1st Saga)
by Traum
Summary: The lives of two warriors on opposite ends of the spectrum are forever intertwined, as a new generation of Z-Warriors are born to combat an evil presence coming towards earth. (Cris and Triono battle)
1. Crono's Story (Yush Saga Prologue)

Crono's Story

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Yush Saga Prologue

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The two powers were almost completely even.Though faint, and obviously nowhere near my own power, they stood out like two elephants in a valley of mice.There was something about one of the powers, something that I couldn't quite put my finger on.It felt familiar, like I'd spent a long time around it before, and was now being re-exposed to it.I was flying over the huge ocean between the two major sets of continents, from the east to the west, and the powers were getting closer and closer.If I'd brought my scouter from the ship, I probably would've been able to pinpoint their location, but since I didn't I had to rely on my old, worn down ki tracking abilities.

I continued to fly, my emerald aura of energy splashing all around me.The air in this universe was thick and polluted, unlike the clean, natural air of my Earth.I still didn't know how I'd gotten to this universe, but Goku had once said that the Kaioshins always do something for a reason, and it was better to just go along with it.So there I was, on another version of my home planet, in some alternate universe, and I was on a search for these two mysterious powers.I knew I didn't have much time, so I soared through the air as quickly as I possibly could.Not only was the gateway by which I travelled to this universe gradually closing, but every second I spent here was a second that the Caprians were coming closer and closer to the dragon balls and Earth.My entire purpose on this trip was to find some powerful beings to take back to Earth so they could be trained for the Caprians.And I had, in some sense, completed my mission, even if it was in a totally different way than I ever planned.

The edge of the land came into view, even in the darkness of the night.There was a small island to the south of a small out branching of land, and its population was huge, over ten million people.I realized that the two powers were hidden amongst there.I changed my course to land on the island, and no sooner did I do so than one of the ki's suddenly magnified in power.I didn't know what had just caused that, but the full moon high above me indicated only the most ominous of events could occur that night.


	2. Crono's Story (Chapter 1)

**_Crono's Story_**

_Chapter 1_

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_Cris_

I'd waited; no, absolutely craved for this moment, ever since I'd first met Triono. I clenched my hands into fists, took in a deep breath, and slowly fell into my fighting stance. Across the dimly lit street he did the same. I could see, as always, the mistakes in his form, the openings and weak points in his stance, but this time, they were far less noticeable, almost… hidden. His face was calm and emotionless, as it always was when we fought.

I knew that this would be it: The final battle between us.It was just something I instantly realized when our eyes locked across the street. One of us would perish that day; there was no way out of it. His aura was far more powerful than I'd ever felt before, and I could tell that, unlike in past meetings, we were almost equally matched.

We stared off for a while, neither willing to make the first move. He and I both knew that patience was not always his most dominant quality, but now he was different.He had complete control over his emotions, and a sort of quiet calmness had enveloped his body.I knew then that he would not allow himself to slip like he had before, he would control himself, at all costs.

I suddenly remembered his final remark from the last time we'd met.I'd told him, as he was pulling himself up from the ground, that maybe he needed to train just a bit harder next time to beat me. He'd given me an astonished look and said, "I don't train. I fight. I've never trained, and I never will."I had considered he might have been serious back then, but he had such a huge increase in power this time, I knew he must have been lying.

I decided to crack the invisible ice, and find out if he had been serious at the same time. "You must've trained really hard to get as strong as you are now."

His face remained motionless as he replied, "I thought I told you, I don't train. I fight, I heal, I eat, I sleep and then I go fight again.But I don't train, and if I kill you today, I'll never have to."

I tried to discern if he was lying or not, but I just couldn't read him.If he was hiding anything, he concealed it within himself far too well for me to uncover.After several seconds of careful evaluation, I decided he must've been telling the truth, albeit a little unbelievable.

He continued to stare at me across the street, his eyes hesitant but confident. An old newspaper quite comically flew between us, and with it, the tension between us rose. Our eyes were intent on each other's; nobody in the world could break the concentration we paid to each other.

In quite a strange moment, Triono suddenly began chuckling, then laughing out loud, before finally roaring with laughter.I didn't quite understand what was so funny, but I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to.Very un-expectantly, he began the battle the instant he stopped laughing. He rushed straight at me at a very quick pace, which I assumed to be his fastest speed.I quickly calculated the time it would take him to reach me, and formulated a counter-attack.But then halfway across the street, he turned on the jets and went into his highest speed. Before I could think of counter-attacking, he'd shot off from the ground and sent a wild hook at my head.

I was extremely surprised by his speed, and just barely managed to duck under his blow.I tried to reply with a quick jab at his stomach, but he deftly hopped back, out of the blow's path.While I was slightly impressed by his newfound speed, he must've thought I was absolutely flabbergasted. He just stood there, his guard down, his head open to attack, and I just couldn't resist such an opening.

I shot at him with a jump-kick, hoping to gain some sort of a definite advantage before he could try another attack. Unfortunately, he brought his arm up just in time and managed to block most of the attack, but he also nearly lost his balance and was forced to take a few steps back to regain it.

I touched to the ground and he looked straight at me with an astounded look, like he wondered how I could try such a daring attack.I decided to test his confidence and said, "Nice block, but you know I could've finished you right there if I wanted to."

"Bull-shit." He replied.I smirked; he always did have a way with the mouth. "This," He half-shouted, "this is how you finish someone."He suddenly ran full-speed, straight at me.I hadn't been expecting any sort of attack, and hadn't prepared any sort of defense, so he could've done some serious damage.Of course, this was Triono, and fighting without showboating was not exactly his style.He stopped just a foot short of me, and leaped at least twenty metres into the air, did a flip at the apex of his jump, and then came down in a hammer-blow position.

Seizing an opportunity too good to miss, I jumped towards him, straight into the air, right as he was reaching the top of his bound. I arrived at his position just as he was re-orienting himself in the air and going into his attack pose. I bent my arm, stuck out my elbow, and drove it right into his abdomen.

My elbow wedged itself right into his stomach, and Triono was propelled through the air and onto the roof of one of the nearby apartment buildings by the blow. He crashed into the small entrance on the top of the roof, ripping apart the steel and bricks of the small structure.

I slowly descended to the street and gazed up at the roof. I knew I could've jumped up to the top of the building and continued the fight, but I saw a much better chance to possibly finish the battle right then. I decided to bring the entire roof down.

I'd always prided myself on sparing and saving civilian life during the clashes between Triono and I, but with all the animosity, all the hatred and pride surrounding that encounter, the loss of another person's life seemed secondary to my own. I thrust my hands back beside my right hip, creating a V shape with the palms touching, focused my mind, and began shouting the words necessary to create the attack I desired.

"Kame--------Hame" I cried out, the river of ki energy flowing through my arms and concentrating in my palms."Ha!" I screamed as I whipped my hands to towards the rooftop, and willed the powerful stream of energy out of my hands, towards my enemy's position.

The Kamehameha came to me easily by then, unlike when I had first created the attack two years before. I had only been 13 then, and I seriously lacked the size to intimidate opponents, despite the fact that I could kill absolutely anyone on the planet if I chose to. I was attempting to meditate in the Rocky Mountains in Canada, with limited success, when an idea suddenly popped in my head.I knew that my power in combat was absolute when compared to the other fighters on the planet (including Triono), but I needed something else, something that would give me notoriety and respect, wherever I went.I traveled to China as a stow-away, studied some old Chinese scrolls about ancient warriors that could focus their ki, their soul, into powerful beams of energy. I worked on the Kamehameha attack for 2 months before I was able to successfully launch it.

The first time I did so, I turned a rock formation the size of the Statue of Liberty into a pile of dust. It left me physically drained and mentally tired, but the results were more than worth it. Destroying such a rock by hand would take hours and could only be done by working my way from the top down.The Kamehameha made mass destruction so much easier. I had developed several other ki-based attacks like the Kamehameha since then, but my initial manuever was still the staple of my repertoire, and often produced the best results.

The beam cut a swath through the stale air of the city, struck the roof and shattered it entirely.Bricks, steel, mortar and a whole bunch of other pieces of debris were sent flying through the air at deadly speeds.There was a gigantic explosion as the excess ki energy light up the dark night sky.

I'd hoped that the blast would destroy, or at least injure Triono, and give me some sort of advantage for the rest of the fight, but instead he was sent flying into the air, several metres away from the blast point of the Kamehameha. I considered the possibility that I had given Triono too much credit, and that he still wasn't up to my level, but something in the back of my mind just wouldn't accept that, so I pressed on.

I was severely tempted to fire another Kamehameha, but after careful consideration, decided against it.I knew that the chances of hitting Triono out of the air were slim, and I'd probably need the ki power later on.So instead of attempting another blast, I soared into the air and landed on the rooftop of the building to the left of the one I'd destroyed.From there I shot into the air, towards Triono.

My black-haired opponent was still high above me by the time I'd jumped off the roof, and had regained control of his body just as I was heading towards him.I realized my opening was slim, but I knew it was still there.I concentrated my mind while in mid-air, and prepared another surge of ki power. I pushed this one down my leg and into my foot, where it burned through my skin and illuminated the air in a dull blue. I'd perfected this new attack just a month before, and since he hadn't seen it in action, I was hoping to catch him off guard.

"Dynamite Kick!"I yelled, as my energized foot pulled the rest of my body behind it as it exploded straight towards the immobile Triono.In record time, I covered the hundred metres between us, and smashed my foot into his torso. The blow sent him gliding through the sky, with a slight downwards angle to his fall.I hung in the air for a moment before gravity caught up with me and I was sent to the rubble of the destroyed rooftop.

I dropped right through the gaping hole I'd created in my less than mythic descent, and crashed into a vacant bedroom.Fighting through a stinging pain, I quickly rose from the ground, ran to the side of the room, punched out the glass window and hopped down five stories to the sidewalk.After landing, I turned to my right and ran off to the area where Triono had been heading during his fall. As soon as I turned around the corner of the ruined building, I was met head on by a fist.

I was thrown backwards by the force of the blow, but managed to orient myself and land back on my feet across the street. I looked across the gravel road to see Triono smiling, very satisfied with the results of his punch. I was more than slightly impressed by the speed of his recovery and the strength of his punch, but I made sure not to let it show; the slightest bit of confidence could make him all the more deadly.

The taste of blood spread in my mouth, and after allowing the cut clod, I emphatically spat out the blood, stared at Triono and said, "Lucky punch.Won't happen again."His smile never even cracked, not for a split second. It un-nerved me to see him so smug and confidant, just like he had been in our first meeting. Back then he had been nothing but a nine year old bully, a common thug on the streets of Toronto.That first fight had lasted all of five seconds, and ever since then, he had been far less self-assured.At least, until that punch. I tried to shrug off the feeling that he had finally surpassed me, but it stayed in my mind, at the back of my head like some sort of neurotic pest that just wouldn't dissipate.It was above annoying, beyond infuriating, and all in all, scary. 

There was a moment of pause, a terrifying second of absolute nothing that lasted only an inconceivable amount of time.And then, we exploded.I'm not quite sure why we both rushed towards each other at exactly the same time, but I could hazard a scary guess.There was the very real possibility that Triono and I were so alike, so hopelessly similar to one another that the exact same plan of attack ran through both our mind's at the exact same time.It wasn't appealing, but I knew it could very well be true.

We met in the center of the street, and that was when the real fight began.With a sickening clash of flesh upon flesh, our fists met each other's head on, and then soon after, our feet did the same. For almost 30 seconds lightning quick flurries of blows were exchanged between the two of us, neither one of us landing anything other than partially blocked attacks and useless jabs.Before the thirty seconds was up though, Triono's weakness reared its ugly head.

Thirty seconds, to the average spectator, does not seem like all that large a duration of time, but when you're in there, going all out, holding absolutely nothing back (simply because you know your opponent will do the same), thirty seconds is less like half a minute, and more like an eternity.And within that thirty seconds, my extensive training, or possibly his lack of, caused his body to make the first mistake.I highly doubt the thought of his body not moving quickly ever even entered his mind, but while his brain and eyes saw each blow, his body had grown too weary after the thirty seconds of extreme combat, and moved too slowly to keep up with his mind. One of his forearms didn't move fast enough, and I managed to swing around his arm, and catch him on the side of the head with a hook shot. He stepped back in defense, but not quick or far enough. I followed up by faking a jab with my left to his head, which he bought, and then with my right, I planted a fist in his solar plexus.

I was completely certain that the two blows would keep him down long enough for me to set up my next attack, but for one of countless times that day, Triono astounded me once again.While the air was obviously knocked out of his body, he managed to stay on his feet and stare into my eyes.His pair of black, penetrating orbs cried out to me, but with something totally different than anything I ever expected to see within them.They wanted nothing but more.More pain, more hurt, more anger, anything to mask what was deep inside them.

I was, of course, more than willing to oblige his wishes. In a single, effortless motion, I side-kicked him in the kneecap, bringing him down to one knee, and then backhanded his temple with my right fist. The attack sent him sprawling to the ground.

I stepped back and took in a deep breath, hoping to stop the shaking in my hands.Slowly and groggily, Triono rose from the street.He looked into my eyes with a sort of silent challenge, and I returned the gaze with an equally challenging look.When he had finally risen to his full height, he stood with his back straight up, his chin high and a trickle of blood running from the side of his head.There was something in the way that he presented himself; I just knew he was going to attack once again.

Without the slightest hesitation, he dove towards me and threw a wild punch straight at my head.I saw the blow coming though, and managed to easily catch his fist in my palm and block its path.Sensing an opportunity, I quickly brought my own hand up and then swung it down in an attempt to crack his shoulder.The blow failed when he caught my forearm in his free hand though. We both pushed with all our strength, neither one willing to concede an inch to the other.

For the very first time, I was afraid Triono might beat me in a contest of strength.Before long, he'd begun to overpower me, and I was considering letting go of his fist and shooting away, but before I could do anything, he suddenly brought his leg around and kicked me in the ankle.

I fell backwards and onto the ground. I landed directly on my spine and a sharp, shooting pain rocketed through my back and left me immobile, if only for a split second. That was time enough for him to axe-kick me in the stomach. The air was rushed out of me as the pain in my back slowly subsided, only to be replaced by the sting in my abdomen. I suspected he would try and keep me on the ground, and sure enough, he tried to tackle me while I was on the concrete.I managed to roll away from the poorly aimed pin though, and came to a rest on my stomach.I pushed myself up from the ground, on my hands and knees, but he was completely relentless, and just as I was about to rise up, he kicked me savagely in the ribs. A deafening _crack_ broke through the air as my ribs and the palm of his foot connected.

I was once again sent onto my back, and as I lay on the ground in agony, I could feel him beginning to charge his ki. I instantly recognized the blast as the Tasaranko, his signature, and by far most deadly, manuever.It was discharged in a highly explosive ball of energy, and could level entire cities if he used it to its maximum power. Of course, even at his fastest pace, he couldn't power up enough ki to garner a ball that powerful, much less one that would cause me any serious damage.So I forced him to choose between attacking me with a lackluster Tasaranko while I was still grounded, or trying to hit me with a more powerful one while I tried to escape.I pushed myself up with my arms, and setting myself in a crouched position, turned to see how he was doing.

His blast was nowhere near complete, and his eyes were unsure of what to do.I then realized I could not only make him attack me with an incomplete blast, but also dodge it in the same token. I kept my eyes trained on him as I prepped my thighs for a quick take-off.Right before his blast had gained enough energy to do any damage, I spat onto my opponent's chest.His eyes were instantly wiped of uncertainty, and filled with unbridled rage.He screamed and threw the Tasaranko at me right as I jumped into the air.

I sailed high, just high enough to avoid the shrapnel from the explosion of his attack connecting with the ground.The only flaw in my plan was that I could not defy gravity long enough to avoid Triono's rage.

Despite long hours of training and meditation, flying was still just beyond my grasp.I found it impossible to control my ki to an extent that I would break the laws of physics and remain without motion, despite the Earth's gravity.However, I saw that Triono was planning on me falling at a very peaceful rate of descent, so I decided to change it up a little.At the apex of my jump I, covered myself in ki and shot down towards the ground at a suicidal rate.He was as un-prepared as I'd hoped he would be.He was forced to give up a chance for attack and scamper away from ground zero.

I crashed into the concrete with tons of added ki pressure behind me.The faint blue glow of ki energy that had encircled me shot out over the street, growing dimmer as it spread further out.I broke through at least three layers of the street, as the ground beneath me shattered.

I painfully wrenched my knee out of the hole it had created, and saw him again preparing to fire a smaller Tasaranko blast.I stood up straight and prepared myself for the attack.He barely powered up before letting the tiny ball of energy loose on me.It came surprisingly slow and I easily pivoted my hips to avoid the attack.As I was doing so, I wondered if perhaps I had over-estimated Triono, and that perhaps he was getting tired.I was soon corrected in a rather straightforward and painful manner.

Just as the ki ball flew past me, he leapt from his attack position and transformed fluidly into a jump-kick.I had no chance to dodge his second attack, and he landed the attack with full force.I was sent flying through the air before landing good 10 metres away, against the wall of another apartment building.I cracked the side nearly 5 metres in each direction, and pain ricocheted through my back and chest.A trail of blood squirmed down my forehead, falling over my eyes and forcing me to squint to keep an eye on Triono.

I made sure to keep my head clear, and shook the blood away so I could get a better look at my enemy.He held his hands at his hips, with ki power literally flaming around his hands.I realized that he would not be using this blast simply for a diversion, and I suddenly knew I needed to get out of my less than pleasant situation.

I looked up and behind me; the roof of the apartments wasn't more than 25 metres high and I decided that even if I failed to reach the top of the building, it would be better than just standing in an ocean of pain doing nothing.I squatted slightly again and then pushed upwards, back-flipping in mid-air on my way to the rooftop.

As soon as I reached it, I prepared my legs for another quick escape, as I knew he was going to attack me with his blast.Before long, he stared up at me from the street, shoved his two hands into the air, and fired.Two rather large beams of energy poured forth from his hands, and were quickly upon me.Right as it reached my position I jumped the width of the building, across the street, and onto the roof of another apartment complex.The two beams struck the building behind me and exploded in a blinding flash of light, ripping apart most of the building in the process, and killing even more innocent civilians.

I landed softly on the rooftop and turned my eyes downward to Triono.His black hair was bouncing as he literally shook in frustration.I could feel his fury, his unbridled hate rise up inside of him, and I loved every second, every moment it controlled him; in that way, I had already defeated his best chance of beating me. I smirked and began thinking of my next move.But to my unpleasant surprise, Triono had an idea of his own.

He screamed out in a horrifying yell of anger, and uttered the words, "RENZOKU!" Just as he did so, his hands whipped up from their sides, his palms snapped open, and small, powerful blasts of energy shot forth from his fists.The forty cylinder blasts moved far more quickly than his Tasaranko had, and I knew the instant they were shot that I had almost no chance to escape from their grasp completely unharmed.

My only hope for any amount of salvation was to avoid the brunt of the blasts, and escape to a more secure location.So instead of trying to jump across the roof to another building, I simply shot into the air as the blasts reached my position.As a replacement for hitting me, they struck the roof, ripping it to pieces and creating a major explosion.The shock of the contact between ki and roof was sufficient enough to hurl me through the air, with absolutely no control over where I was going.

I spun for god knows how long, not hearing anything but the cry of the air and the pain in my body.I opened my eyes for a split second, and in that almost invisible moment, I saw a wall.Needless to say, I crashed through the wall.I had no clue where I was, or even how high off the ground I was, but I skidded across a floor and came to a stop on my back, not far from the hole in the wall I had created.I just rested there for a second, figuring that Triono's attack had exhausted itself on the roof that I had been thrown from.

After just a second or two of rest and thought, I realized I'd have to find out where I was, and where Triono was placed, sooner or later.I reluctantly sat up; pain nerves going off like crazy, through the hole I had created in the newfound wall, I saw the roof I had just occupied.

It was badly destroyed, to say the least, but something about it struck me as odd, almost as if it wasn't damaged enough.An odd sight suddenly came to my eyes: the sight of twenty of Triono's little ki blasts heading straight towards me.I labeled them as some sort of homing blasts (and told myself to learn this Renzoku attack, should I survive), and with that many of them heading straight towards me, I saw my chances for survival dwindling with each second.Just because I didn't see a way out, that didn't stop my body from forcing me to get up and run.Luckily, I'd landed in a room with an unobstructed view of a window, which seemed like a gateway to heaven for me.

As soon as I'd finished getting up, I raced across the carpeted floor, and towards my escape clause.I wasn't fast enough though.Before I'd reached the window, a flurry of the ki blasts made contact with the hole behind me.The resulting explosion forcefully hurled me through the window, crashing me towards the ground, as more and more of the blasts went off behind me. 

I was sent flying through the air, finally crashing onto the ground a good 100 feet from the floor I'd gone off of. Pain rocked through my lower back, but I forced myself to get up. I looked up, finding the entire apartment building devastated and in blue and orange flames. A part of me wanted to go in there and help whoever had been trapped inside, but the idea was soon forced out of me. Triono came bounding from the top of the building like a madman, and shot down towards me from above, like some sort of fallen angel. I sprinted as fast as I could away from there, but I was partly winded from the fall, and found my legs giving out from underneath me. Triono easily caught up to me, and tackled me from behind.

I flew down the street before connecting with the pavement a few metres from my enemy. I rolled onto my back, and saw the full moon high above, its pale white light shining everywhere. Then Triono was on me, attempting to leap on top of me in a finishing blow.Using the last ounce of energy that remained in my bones, I swiftly kicked him in the jaw as he came down, which sent him flying backwards yet again, falling to the pavement.

I tried getting up, but my body was less than warm to the idea. Pain soared through every part of my body, as a pool of my blood formed at my feet, but still, I rose up. I stared across and down to my opponent, to Triono, and for the first time I'd ever fought him, I felt genuine fear. Never in the five years we'd known each other, never in all my life-time, did I ever think that it would come down to a match to the death between us.

Slowly, Triono rose from his feet, but with a face of pain masked over his visage, only it was far different than I'd ever seen before.Suddenly, he let out a loud gasp, and I thought I saw something shoot out of his rear, though I couldn't be sure since the lighting was dim; most of the street lights had been destroyed.

Suddenly a huge smile ripped across his face, and he started laughing. "It's back, I can't believe it!It's really back!" He then stared at me and said coolly "It's all over now Cris, this is our final battle!"

He then looked straight into the moon, which he had to turn around to see, and I saw what had shot out of his back-end. A tail, much like a monkey's tail, had ejected itself from his spinal cord area. I remember wondering if he was really human, as a huge monster-like roar emitted from his direction, and police sirens wailed in the distance . . . . . 


	3. Crono's Story (Chapter 2)

Crono's Story

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_Chapter 2_

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_Triono_

A roar, an unearthly scream of pure jubilation sprung forth from deep within, un-harnessed and uncontrollable, even by me. The moon, in all its elegance hung high above, its beautiful light flowed into my eyes, immersing my body in white radiance.My metamorphosis continued, undaunted by the tearing of my muscles, or the growth of my bones.I couldn't even make sense of my bellow; it had overpowered all my other senses.My muscles bulged, my clothes were torn off my body, the few hairs on body suddenly grew, getting darker, larger and more numerous with each second. I looked at Cris across from me, watched in delight as he grew smaller in smaller in my view, until I dwarfed him so severely that he was nothing, a tiny bug just waiting to be squished.I will never forget the horrified look on his face.All his training couldn't save him from me now; this fight, short of a miracle, was mine.

Then, the rage arrived. I found myself at eye level with the rooftops round me, my body taking up more than the width of the street; my transformation was complete.I was as prepared as I would ever be, then, to destroy Cris. As I realized this, the feeling overcame me.Later on I found out what it was like to witness a member of my species transform, how we unendingly rampage and tirade through our environment, until we've destroyed everything and everyone within our vicinity.People believe that when we transform, we lose control of every facet of our bodies, lose control of our very minds. That, in-fact, is not true.There is a peerless blood lust that rushes through our veins at all times, and when we transform, it is magnified, so much so that it overrides all other trains of thought.Unless there is something for us to focus on destroying, something to act as a center of attention, we will go on a crazy rampage, just to fulfill some sort of biological urge.Luckily for the surrounding people and buildings, Cris' ugly face was more than I needed to focus on him. 

I suppose his face wasn't that ugly, I knew he'd had a girlfriend in the north somewhere, but the sight of it gave me a bad taste in my mouth. His mouth hung open, not daring to emit a sound, as I yelled like a banshee once again, and then began my assault. I walked over to him, crashing the street beneath my feet. He began to move, desperately trying to get away. He ran full speed away from me, but it was no use, my stride was too long for him to escape, a steady trot of mine was sufficient enough to catch up to him. Right before I was on him, he turned and shot at me with another of his ki-immersed jump kicks. I tried to catch him while he glided through the air, but he moved to quickly for my large arms to stop the attack. He struck my stomach, and in all honesty, I felt a twinge of pain, like an elephant would, whom a mosquito had bitten.He bounced right off my torso, and fell to the ground underneath me. With an immobile target such as that, how could I resist?

I rose my foot, ten metres in the air, and then brought my whole weight down on Cris' motionless body. A disturbingly familiar crunching sound snapped through the air, as a muffled scream came from under my foot. I skewered my foot into the ground, like I was putting out a cigarette, before lifting my paw off to the side of his body. To my surprise, he was alive, twitching with movement, his arms and legs twisted into deformed positions. I watched him with a coy playfulness, like a cat watches a mouse before it eats it. I saw him squirm onto his side and then with a great push, onto his stomach. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't amazed beyond belief when he pushed himself up from the cracked street.The pain was clearly visible on his face, yet he fought through it and got up, using only his right arm, as his left was vastly disfigured.

A pang of guilt suddenly dawned on me, as though I felt sorry for taking advantage of my transformation.I studied Cris again; he was the only one on the planet who could challenge me.If he was gone, I'd have no one to fight, no one to compete with, and no one to hate.I would never again be able to get such huge increases in strength like I had after healing from one of Cris' beatings, at least not without physically training for hours upon hours, and just the thought of that churned my stomach.So for a very hesitant second I considered letting him live, of turning the blind eye and letting my unique brand of destruction loose on the city.Then he just had to open his big fat mouth.

His voice was small, barely audible, but he spoke his words with crystal clarity, "What's wrong monkey-boy? Not thinking of giving up are you?I expected more from you Triono."He then raised his good arm and fired a blue ki beam from it. I wasn't expecting an attack so daring, so I didn't even contemplate trying to stop it. He aimed it perfectly, as he always seemed to do, and it struck me in the throat.My huge voice box was slightly crushed, and as I keeled back in pain I tried to roar, only to find that I couldn't. I covered the slight wound with my hands as I heard Cris laughing beneath me.In pure anger I stamped with both my feet, cracking the ground beneath me and striking many of the apartments around my location.I then stepped forward, heavily, straight towards Cris.He astounded me once again by jumping back and narrowly dodging my attack.He was un-able to avoid the crash of foot meeting asphalt though, and the shock sent him flying a small distance. He landed softly on the ground, but didn't get up this time. I looked at his eyes to find them closed, I assumed he passed out from the pain.In any event, he was defenceless and the chance was mine.Looking back, if I'd succeeded in killing him, none of what we'd go through together would've happened.

I brought back my right hand from my throat, clenched it into a fist and brought it down onto Cris.I closed my eyes so I wouldn't see the blood and bone that would surely fly.Just a second before I made contact, a buzzing sound went by my right ear and suddenly my fist was stopped.I snapped open my eyes to find what had prevented my conquest, but found nothing.I pushed down on my fist with all my weight, but it didn't budge an inch.I then realized whatever was blocking my fist was small enough to hide behind my hand.

I brought my arm back, and found something, or rather someone, standing in its vacancy.An extremely short man stood in place of my fist. He didn't so much stand as he hung in the air, a motionless pillar unaffected by the likes of gravity.I slowly looked him over; he was bald, short, with a large, round head, a strange orange martial arts gi, and a muscular build. His face was masked as he had turned his head to look at Cris, who was un-conscious behind my newfound adversary.At an almost tantalizingly slow pace, this new arrival turned around to confront me once again.I saw his face, which struck me as kind of strange to tell the truth.His forehead had six dots almost inscribed within his skull, like some sort of birthmark, although they were obviously artificially created burn marks.Besides that though, something else struck me as missing on his face, something that wasn't right.Before long, it occurred to me that he had no nose, just a small patch of bumpy skin where it should've been.Though my senses were slightly diminished by the overwhelming power of my transformation, I sensed his aura wasn't all that powerful, and sure as hell not powerful enough to stop my blow like he did.

He examined me, slowly at first, before quickly staring into my eyes and grinning at me.I was half humoured, half enraged that this stocky little man thought he could really fight me.I was bringing up my left foot to kick him with, when suddenly he vanished. He didn't outright disappear, just sort of blurred out of vision as I lost all sense of his aura. Then suddenly, not a split second after he had left, he appeared again, right in front of my chest.I didn't have time to react; just time enough to see him hit me.He needed only one fist, one measly punch to send me flying.I must've gone nearly a whole block from this one little punch.My whole body smacked into the ground at suicidal speeds, whip lashing my neck and leaving me immobilized on my back.

I roared weakly, barely managing to get the sound out of my throat, and glanced around, nervously looking for my attacker. To my left, a squadron of police cars were heading towards me, their sirens wailing, they're guns ready.I snapped open my mouth and let fly a beam that incinerated the vehicles and all their occupants, leaving only charred metal and the smell of charred flesh in the air.I re-directed my attention to my more worthwhile opponent, and slowly pushed myself up from the ground. My top pair of ribs were insinuated in pain, until the sensation overcame my mind, and movement itself became a test of endurance.Through some sort of miracle, I rose from the ground, and began my hurried search for the bald man.

It wasn't very hard to find him, he wasn't even attempting to hide, he was just confidently striding towards me, keeping a constant, slow pace, as to annoy me all the further.I was completely un-prepared for this; I'd never been beaten in my transformed state before, in fact, in each of the three times I'd changed in the past, I had been uncontested.I tilted my head slightly to the side before opening my mouth once again, and firing another ki beam.I didn't see if it hit him or not, my jaw was so massive that it blocked my tunnel of vision.The explosion was amazing though, creating a giant crater in the street and hurling Cris' limp body even farther.

I didn't feel the shrimp's ki anywhere near me, so I assumed I'd hit him.It didn't take me long to find out just how badly I had assumed.Some sort of sharp object suddenly struck me in the side of the head, and I turned my neck to see what threw it at me.My enemy stood on top of a roof, hands on his hips, laughing almost uncontrollably at me.

I roared in disgust, and swung a wild fist at him.He didn't move to avoid it this time; instead, he blocked my fist with his forearm.My mind refused to believe that my fist, the size of a Buick, was stopped by this runt, and as such, I did absolutely nothing in my own defence.Suddenly he brought up his other arm and fired a small ki blast from it.

The orange ball of energy struck me in my already damaged sternum.Again I went for a little ride, this time straight into an apartment building, directly opposite the one my enemy was perched atop.My huge frame tore right through the bricks, mortar and steel of the building, leaving me in a sort of bed of debris.I lay on my back once again, clutching my enormous chest with my equally large palms, and I writhed in unbearable pain.My mind was perplexed as to how this little man could be so strong, far stronger than anything, or anyone, I'd ever met before.

I knew one thing though, there was no way this little midget was going to beat me.I rose from the rubble of the building, moaning loudly as my body, racked with pain, told me to simply lie back down.I stared straight into the now expressionless face of my attacker, and I caught the sight of Cris off to my left, struggling to his feet; simply amazing.I roared a battle cry and charged at the baldy, fists raised high.I brought them crushing down on the roof of his building, but half a second before I made contact, he blurred out of view again.

My hands crashed through the corner of roof, sending shrapnel in all directions.I didn't have time to look for my assailant when suddenly, I sensed an incredibly powerful surge of energy just above me.As I turned to face it, a yell emanated from seemingly all around me.

"Destructo Disc!!"The booming voice yelled, and I saw my attacker once again.He was hovering above and behind me, with a cylinder of energy floating above his right, outstretched palm.

He hurled the attack with such force that I couldn't even see it's movement towards me.Suddenly pain shot through my spine, and blood began to pour from out my rear end.A dread I never again wanted to feel came over me, and as I looked back sure enough, my worst fears were confirmed. The blast had cut straight through the base of my tail, and as the shaft of the furry little appendage fell to the ground, I began shrinking, back into my humanoid form.It was then that I suddenly grew very tired.

It'd been nearly five years since my mom had died.I didn't know why she came to my dream until it was all over; her message was just a part of the script to something that had happened far too long ago for me to remember.She came up to me, her waist length black hair blowing behind her, pushed by some invisible force, her blue eyes giving off her infamous dark glow, the black dress she always wore was clean and looked to be brand new. She stood above me, looking at me with those penetrating eyes, and then she knelt in front of me, leaned in beside my ear and whispered softly in her calm and knowing voice."I told you didn't I?Now go and do it."A sob emitted from my throat and she passed her hand through my hair.Then suddenly I found myself watching from the view of a spectator; and I saw myself the way I was the night I found her dead in the street; naked, curled in a ball, and crying violently. And all the while she just knelt there, a worried look on her face and her hand in my hair.


	4. Crono's Story (Chapter 3)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

_Chapter 3_

_ _

_Cris___

** **

A sort of unreality, a kind of unbelieving had washed over me as I'd witnessed the battle between my unknown protectorate and the transformed Triono, almost like I was watching it from someone else's point of view.I'd never seen such power or speed in a single entity before, but this bald headed man possessed skill far beyond my range, or even Triono's.Never, in all my time, had I ever even thought that only a few punches would leave Triono badly injured and barely hanging onto life.Even one of my fully powered Kamehameha's wouldn't have put a dent in Triono while he was transformed like that.

I gazed warily at my defender, who was holding over the naked and used up body of Triono, looking over it like a mother protecting its young.Pain had numbed my left shoulder and arm, and I clasped them with my right arm in a futile attempt to relieve the agony that had placed itself in them.The bald fighter had landed back on the ground, and was kneeling over Triono, getting his pulse.

I slowly stepped forward, towards the pair, and came up from behind them.Right before I reached them, the conscious man turned his head and looked at me."How are you?" He asked.I didn't reply; I was still in awe of the way he'd dispatched the transformed Triono.When I didn't respond, he stood, turned and questioned me again."Well, you ok?"

His voice, somewhat high pitched, set me off even more.I looked at him through squinting eyes, summing him up as well as I could, before finally I replied, "I'll be ok, I just need to get to a hospital."

"Don't have time for that." He flatly stated.I was quietly surprised by his remark, but before I could question him about it, a wave of pain callously whipped over my entire body.I'd run out of energy, completely, I didn't even have the power to stand, and I would've collapsed to the ground if not for the bald man grabbing my injured arm as I was falling.I screamed out as ripples of pain shot from my shoulder, dulling my mind; his hand was like a vice-grip.

"Oh shit, sorry."He said, and quickly moved his hand to under my other arm, supporting me in a less painful fashion."Let's see just what the problem is."He then took his free hand and passed it slowly over my injured arm, from shoulder to wrist, and I felt a sort tingling sensation throughout the arm, drying the pain slightly.

When he finished with whatever he was doing, he released my body to its own reconnaissance, and the tingling disappeared.The pain returned, but it was far less antagonistic, to the point where I could think again."Broken forearm, bone chips in elbow, and dislocated shoulder." He said, speaking like a doctor reading a chart.He then continued, conversing in a sympathetic tone, "This could hurt a little."

He then grabbed my forearm and, without a second thought, shoved the fragmented broken bone back to the main one.The pain that he'd only recently help recede came back with a vengeance, and I screamed in ache and pain.But it would only get worse, as he then moved up to my elbow, and with a single hand, crushed the joint inwards.I clamped a fist with my right hand and was dearly tempted to swing it at this man, but then I remembered Triono's beating, and thought better of it.

After what seemed like an eternity of crushing bone fragments in my elbow, he moved up to my shoulder, and, using both hands, crammed my arm back into it's socket.When he finished he let go of me and I fell to the ground in a heap of pain.

My new MD then proceeded to drop a small green bean in front of me as I writhed in agony on the ground."Eat that.It'll help, I promise." He said.My adopted momma didn't raise any fool though; I didn't take food from a stranger, at least not without one question being answered first.

"What is it?" I asked as I stared up at him.

He looked at me with a sort of dazed look on his face."They call it a senzu bean, it'll give you your strength back and speed up the recovery process quite a bit."

I picked up the small bean, felt its smooth, hard surface, and then popped it in my mouth.It was much harder than expected, like a small candy, but I'd chewed and swallowed it in a few seconds.At first nothing happened; the pain remained in my arm, and I still felt weak as a puppy, but then there was a huge rush of energy, like I'd just gotten my third wind.My muscles regained their strength, my arm stopped throbbing with pain, and I could feel my ki power slowly regenerating.I hopped to my feet, eyes wide open, and asked him, "What are in those things?"

"Don't know."He replied, then shrugged and grinned slightly, "I don't grow them, just eat them."

"Right." I nodded and looked down at my doctor.He was even shorter up close.At 5'11" I wasn't taller than most, but compared to this 5 foot even man, I was a giant.He didn't seem to mind or even care; I was sure he was used to being the short one.He was still focusing on Triono, shaking his head and mumbling to himself."What happened to him, how did he transform like that?" I asked.

"He's a saiyan," he muttered underneath his breath, "they all have the ability to transform, as long as they have a tail."The word "saiyan" stabbed into my mind like a splinter.The man had used it as if instead of "human", Triono was a "saiyan".Triono was different, I knew that, but how could this guy claim that he wasn't even human?

"What's a saiyan?"I questioned, "Plus who are you anyways?"

He turned to face me, and stuck out his short, stubby arm."Name's Krillin, glad to meet you."I shook his hand tentatively, and then introduced myself.

"I'm Cris. And he," I said, looking down at my lifeless opponent, "is Triono."

He nodded again, and then looked back to Triono.I wish he paid me a bit more attention, but he'd healed me, what more could I ask for?Still, I needed to know what I was dealing with; about the "saiyan" title he'd given Triono.I was about to ask again when he cut me off with the answer."You asked what saiyans were?"He asked rhetorically "They're a race.A race of warriors, unparalleled by most species of the universe, they strike fear into their enemies.They used to act as sort of planet brokers, clearing all sentient life off a planet to allow it to be used by their clients.They are all born with tails like Tri-ono," He sounded out the name. "Whenever there is a full moon, if they have a tail, they can look into the moon and they will transform into a beast like the one that attacked you."I tried to take this all in, but most of it was just bouncing off me, all I cared to hear was Triono was an alien.All the time I'd known him, he seemed completely normal (well, as normal as people like he and I could be), but now it made sense.He never seemed to care much about talking, or any kind of social interaction, just fighting; even fighting for nothing, which was the basis for most of our fights.Krillin continued, but I didn't really pay much attention, I just stared at the motionless body of Triono, wondering why I'd never seen it earlier."Triono must not have trained a whole lot, if he had, you wouldn't have stood a chance."I nodded absent-mindedly, and was about to explain to Krillin about Triono's unusual training methods, when the baldy said something that caught my ear."Thing is, there've never been any saiyans in this dimension."

I wasn't sure I heard him right so I shot him a strange look and asked, "This dimension?"

He nodded and then tried to explain."This dimension, the one we're in right now, is one of many.I come from a totally different dimension, where powers like yours, mine, and Triono's are fairly common.I'm surprised to find powers as strong as yours in this dimension, I've been here five weeks, and not in all the galaxy have I sensed powers as strong as the two of yours."He paused, and then took a look around the street, like he was looking at it for the first time."And I'm also amazed at how similar your planet is to the Earth from my dimension."

He'd lost me again, "Hold on a minute.You mean to tell me that there are other dimensions similar to this one?"Science never was my strongest suit.

"Some are parallel, like yours and mine.They're nearly exactly the same, except something happened in this dimension," He said as he stared into the moon and stars, "that changed it dramatically from mine.In my dimension there are literally millions of different sentient species, but here, it's limited to only a few hundred. Something must have wiped the early stages of them out, or something."

He breathed deeply, and a moan came from Triono, beneath us."He might wake up pretty soon." I stated.

"Yup, we better get a move on."With one hand he picked up Triono's body and slung it between his arm and torso."If you want to come with me, I'll explain what I'm doing in your dimension, and you can decide if you want to come with me."He stuck out his free hand, palm outstretched 

I considered telling him no, just thanking him for the rescue and the healing, so I could catch a train back to Canada and see Seana for the first time in two months.I'd already been separated from her for too long, but something inside of me told me to just take his hand, and hope for the best.

After a few seconds I took a deep breath and then latched onto his arm.He smiled slightly, and then suddenly we were off.I'd flown before, but only in planes and helicopters, this was totally new.No engine, just his own power, his own ki, which was increasing with each second.My breath was gone in a few seconds, by that time we were at least five clicks above ground, and the apartments were suddenly small dots in the distance.A rush of adrenaline pulsed through me; I dug into his arm with my nails, and looked up at him.He turned to me and smiled."Never flown before?"

"Not like this!" I replied. My heart felt like it was going to bust out of my chest, and to calm myself, I closed my eyes and practised a relaxation technique I'd learnt as a kid.Trying to take long, deep breaths, I gradually pushed down the anxiety building inside me.The air rushed by us so fast it roared in my ears and helped quiet my mind.I opened my eyes again, and then looked to Krillin.

He was concentrated on, steering I guess is the best way to say it.I didn't want to interrupt him, so I tried to catch a glimpse of Triono, across Krillin's body.He was still knocked out, his black hair covering his face, pushed by the wind.Millions of thoughts passed through my mind about Triono.Who were his parents?Why was he on earth if he was an alien?What was his life like?All of these thoughts, and many, far more dangerous ones whizzed through my head, and I suddenly felt both sorrow and pity for my enemy.I suddenly wished I'd known him a bit better, but I had a feeling we'd be getting to know each other very soon.

Suddenly Krillin's voice startled me. "So, what do you want to know?" He wondered.

I didn't know where to start, but since I had been thinking about Triono, I said "Tell me about saiyans."

He shrugged and then said, "Well, I don't know a whole lot, just what I've picked up from my friends, and some books.You can read up on them if you come over."I didn't understand what he meant, but before I could ask him he said, "I guess I could give you an outline though. First off, their home planet was called Vegeta.It was a huge planet, almost three times as big as Earth, and it also had gravity ten times that of Earth's.There were originally two races on this planet, the saiyans and the Tsufuru.Eventually a war broke out between the two races.The war was going evenly, what with the saiyans brute strength and the Tsufuru's technology, until one night, there was a full moon on Vegeta. And as you now know, when a saiyan looks into the full moon it transforms into a huge ape.The other race was over-run and the saiyans took over.They were stuck on Vegeta though, which was now damaged badly by the war, and in order to get technology and money, they struck an alliance with another race on a far off planet.This alliance called for the saiyans to take over planets that were suitable for habitation or farms, and then give them to their new allies.

"This mutually benefited both species, so the saiyans began taking other clients, garnering wide masses of riches and power from their clients.Eventually one client, an evil being named Freeza, monopolized the saiyans, and used them for his own personal wishes.Soon though, Freeza saw that the saiyans, and their ever growing numbers and strength, might pose a problem to his personal power, so he destroyed the planet Vegeta and with it almost all of the saiyans." I gasped when I heard this. The thought of a single being able to destroy an entire planet and its inhabitants astounded me; this Freeza must've had power beyond my comprehension."Only seven saiyans were off the planet when it was destroyed.I guess eight though if you count Triono.And that was 200 years ago."

I absorbed all this data rather quickly, the history of Triono's people."Eventually though, Freeza met his match.A saiyan, named Goku, who was also my best friend, defeated the murderer by turning into a Super Saiyan.In this form, Freeza was no match for Goku, and eventually he was defeated.That basically sums up the history of the saiyan race.No one has ever heard of a saiyan since the last of the race died.Triono might change everything, a saiyan that may very well be able to bring back the species.And if he's a full-blooded saiyan, it's even better.

"Anything else?"He asked as he continued looking onward.I began thinking, and looked around for some ideas. We were far out of the city now, in-fact when I looked back, I couldn't even see the lights from it, we must have been going at extremely high speeds.I remained silent for a while, searching for a question, when one popped in my head.

"Why are you here in this dimension at all?"

"Simply put, I came here to find people just like you.You see Cris, there's a war coming.And it doesn't involve you or Triono, or even your galaxy at all, but it will if my dimension loses this war.I've come to your dimension to bring new warriors back to my plane.All the greatest warriors of my time, the Z warriors we called them, have died of old age.Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, Goten, the list goes on and on, I'm the only remaining Z warrior left, and soon I will have to pass on too.We were the protectors of our dimension; our universe relied on us to keep it free of evil.Without us to keep the peace in the universe, evil has risen again, and there are no fighters powerful enough to destroy the evil army heading towards Earth.In just a few years, they will arrive on Earth, the breeding ground of the most powerful combatants in the universe. And if no one stops them, they will have complete domination over all life in the universe.I was sent here by chance really, I was on my way to a planet called Namek, as I'd heard of a great fighter from there, when I hit some sort of rift in space and time.Don't ask me how, but I was sent here, to your dimension.So I did the job I was supposed to, find fighters with potential to be the next Z warriors.My search led me to Earth, where I found you and Triono."

Great, so Krillin was some scout from the major leagues coming down to my level to seek out new talent."You said something about the upcoming war affecting my dimension.What do you mean?"

"We're pretty sure this army has a device that will allow them access to any dimension that is relatively similar to ours, and that means yours.The problem they have is that their machine requires power of more than a thousand class-A stars combined.They have no way to harness this power, except if they wish for it with the dragon balls."

"What are dragon balls?" I asked. I felt like a stupid little kid who was learning his multiplication tables.

"Ah, the dragon balls, really the source of all our problems on earth.The dragon balls are a creation of our Kami, or god.They allow anyone who has all seven balls to make any wish they want, and it will come true.There are limits to the dragon balls power, but the harnessing of the power needed to work their machine could be wished for.So we can't let them get all seven dragon balls, if they do, it would mean domination of every type of life everywhere, and that would not be limited to my dimension either."

I swallowed heavily, if I got the message right, Krillin would want me to come with him to his dimension, and fight this evil army.I wasn't afraid of any fight, especially not if it was for all the right reasons, but I had to know one thing."Are these guys as powerful as Freeza?"

He looked at me solemnly and then almost whispered, "Freeza's a pip-squeak compared to these guys."He saw the look of fear on my face, but instead of letting me voice my concerns he said, "We're here, my space pod's right down there."

I couldn't see anything now, the night was dark, and clouds had covered the moon where we were.Suddenly we dove, headfirst at suicidal speeds towards a farmer's field.All my blood rushed to my feet, and I almost passed out, but right before we hit the ground, we slowed to a calm glide before touching down on the green grass.

It felt good to be on land again, but I was disoriented and almost fell to the ground.Krillin looked at me funny and said, "We'll teach you how to fly like that if you come with me."I didn't know whom he meant by 'we' but the thought of moving that fast sent a thrill up my spine.

"If I go with you, when would I be able to come back?"I asked, the whole time the thought of moving at such amazing speeds held control over my mind.

"They'll arrive in three years, after it's all over, this dimension could use a god-like figure."

I looked at Triono, and wondered, "What about Triono?"

"He doesn't belong here anyways, he must've somehow arrived in your dimension from ours, maybe in the same way I did."

I pondered the thought of going with him, the chance of a lifetime; go to save the universe from pure evil.I didn't know how I'd explain this to Seana; I'd have to talk to her, somehow.Let her know what was happening."Could I go see someone, before we leave?"

"Sorry Cris, the dimensional warp, or whatever it is I came through, is disappearing as we speak. We might not even make it as it is, so we have to go now."

I didn't know if I could just leave her like that, but I'd be fighting for her, for everyone on my planet, for my universe itself.A kind of pride arose in my heart, but it was like no other I'd ever felt before.I stood there for maybe a minute, Krillin shifting impatiently from side to side, before I finally made up my mind."Let's do it."


	5. Crono's Story (Chapter 4)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 4

Cris

_ _

The choice had been mine to make, and I'd done it, whether it was for better or worse would be for history to decide.Now all that was left was to save the universe.More easily said than done, of course, but I felt up to the challenge.A giddiness began to creep up on me, and in a hasty voice I asked Krillin, "So where's your ship, I wanna get going."

He reached into his gi, and pulled out a small capsule, then stated, "Right here."He pushed the compressible top of the cylinder case, and then threw it at least 20 metres in front of us.I didn't know what was going on, and I had turned to ask when a gigantic 'pop' sound rang through my ears.I whipped my body around to face the sound, and where my bald headed friend had thrown the capsule, a gigantic space ship was resting comfortably.

It was a large sphere like ship, with huge circular windows on each of its sides, and landing struts supporting the base of the ship, holding it a few metres above ground.Beyond the main, frontal window, at least 20 metres in width, the word "CAPSULE" was spelt in capital letters."How'd you get that ship out of no-where?" I asked Krillin.

"Capsule of course."He looked at me oddly, but then shook his head and chuckled,"Oh yeah, you guys don't have them here, our dimension must be a little ahead in the technology department."

"How do you fit an entire ship into a small little capsule like that?"I questioned, all the while feeling more and more like a very small and idiotic child.

"Don't ask me, I have no idea.Kinda like the senzu beans, I just use them, don't know what makes them work."

"O-k.But why didn't we just create the ship where we were?Why did we have to fly all the way over here?"

"Launching from here will put us on a direct course for the rip in space that I created."

"I see."It made sense, but there was something offsetting about hopping into a spacecraft that came from virtually nowhere.It wasn't only the previous invisibility of the craft; it was it's daunting size as well.The ship was huge, maybe 50 metres tall and 30 metres wide, but Krillin didn't seem to take much notice.

He walked up to the base of the ship and then floated up to a small beeping control panel near the large window.He punched in a few buttons, and there was a large pressurizing sound, followed by a small walkway being ejected from a space under the main window.

After a few seconds the walkway touched the ground just right in front of me.I began walking up the small ramp, and in a few seconds was at the main window, when I approached it, it split into five different sections and each shot away from me, creating a huge opening for me to walk inside the ship.

Krillin was right behind me, carrying Triono behind him.In a few seconds we were both inside the ship.It had red tiled floors, with red padding on the walls and a roof window that was also tinted red.There were two chairs placed in front of a pair of control panels to my left, which I assumed were for the pilot(s); and behind the two pilot seats were two more passenger chairs.Right in the middle of the ship was a huge cylinder, reaching from the floor to the roof, with several buttons and control panels along the side of it.There was a small liquid crystal display screen read "1 G" on one side of the cylinder.I didn't know what it meant, but at that time I didn't really care.

"Nice ship you got here."I told Krillin, while still admiring the sheer size of the craft.

"Thanks.Now if you don't mind, could you buckle Triono into one of those passenger seats?"He asked while he pointed to the seats behind the pilots' chairs.

"Sure." I said as I jogged over to Krillin, who stood with Triono near the central cylinder.He handed me Triono's still limp body, and as I dragged him over to the near seat, I could hear his light breathing and the rising and falling of his chest.I knew he'd be good as new if he ever woke up and ate one of those senzu beans of Krillin's.

I plopped my saiyan buddy's body into the chair, and then reached around him for the seatbelt, but couldn't find it.I continued searching for a few seconds before Krillin said, "You won't find it.Here look out."He walked up to the seat, and gently pulled me away.Then he cleared his throat and announced, "Seatbelt on chair four."

Small holes appeared on the side of the chair, and then small seatbelts protruded from them, all told there were four belts and they all came snapped into place together, right over Triono's chest."Pretty cool eh?" Krillin smirked afterwards.

I nodded slightly and then turned to take one of the pilots' seats.Krillin shot around me and plopped down into one of the pilots chairs before I could even get close to it."Seatbelt on chair one."The seatbelt ejected itself on his chair as well."Cris, go take a seat, we have to get going."

Instead of taking the other pilots seat, as I desired, I settled for another passenger's chair right behind Krillin.I opened my mouth to ask him which chair it was I was in, but he neatly activated my seatbelt for me."Seatbelt on chair three."The restraints collapsed over me snugly, and I leaned back, looking upwards through the scarlet roof."Ready to go?"Krillin's almost child like voice asked.

"Yeah, let's do it."I agreed as he pushed a few buttons.

"Here goes."He pushed a pair of buttons in unison and then, as if in fear, latched strongly onto the arms of his chair.Figuring Krillin new far more on what was about to happen than I, I followed suit and tightly gripped onto my chair.At first, the ship was deathly silent, though I could see flames beginning to creep out from underneath us.Then a slight rumbling came over the craft, a little rocking motion, and just as the ship began to churn, I could feel us being pushed upwards.We moved slowly at first, but soon the ship built up speed, and a loud whining sound rang throughout the interior of the ship.The rocking that had been so tame at the beginning soon became ferocious, and I felt like I was being thrown around like a paperweight.If not for my seatbelt, I would've been shattered against the wall.I'm not sure why, but as we continued our ascent, a rush of anxiety hit me.All the blood rushed to my toes and it felt like a ton of bricks was being placed on my neck.The whine gradually grew louder and louder, like something the ship was about to pop with energy.

I desperately tried every technique I knew of to relax, but nothing worked. My breathing techniques only hastened my shortness of breath, and my short attempt at meditation was as futile as ever. The whine of the engine slowly overpowered my ability to hear myself think.I forced myself to try and take deep, calming breathes, but they came out short and un-coordinated, and before long, I was hyperventilating.Then I remembered a little something in my back pocket.

Fire had encompassed the ship, it was bathed in an orange-red blaze of flames, and to the occupants of the vehicle the temperature began to rise. But even through all the rumblings of the ship, I was able to reach back and pull out a picture from my back pocket.I always kept it there, and it always put my mind at ease.Her beautiful face always put my heart at rest.Her hair; long dark and flowing, her eyes; dark and penetrating, her smile; joyful and invigorating.And in the few seconds that I gazed upon her photo, I realized just how lucky I was to have her.Only god knew why she put up with my constant absence, why she cared for me so deeply, and why she thought of me the way she did.I just stared at her picture, and soon a wave of calm and serenity washed over me, cleansing me of my fretfulness and fear.I took a deep breath, and then put the picture back in its rightful spot.Just as I did, Krillin spoke over the whine of the engine, "You ok back there?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."I sort choked out, fighting my way through the large lump that had collected in my throat.

He obviously didn't hear me and said, "Sorry about the bumpy ride, your atmosphere's a little different then the one on my Earth." I was about to ask what the point of having a spaceship that couldn't land or leave planets with different atmospheres was, but I stopped myself.

We sat there for a few seconds and then the rumbling of the ship degraded, and before long stopped altogether.I looked around, and then Krillin announced, "That should be the worst of it, I'll set a course for the anomaly that brought me here, hopefully it'll be able to send us back to my dimension."

He then proceeded to turn off the seatbelts for both his chair and my own.I was astounded to find that even in space we had regular gravity.I stood up, and then hopped a little, still amazed."How do we have gravity up here?"I asked eventually.

He walked by me to the tall pillar in the centre of the ship, and tapped the controls, "This baby right here.It can create a gravity field for this ship anywhere from 0 to 100 g's."

Something didn't seem quite right about that, "What's the use of having a gravity field 100 times normal?"

"You'll see."He slyly replied, then he turned to the main window and said, "You might want to take a last look, you might not see it again in a while."

I turned to the large window, and there was the Earth.In space it looked amazing, from thousands of kilometres away, it was more beautiful than anything I'd ever seen.I slowly walked to the window, peering out, taking in the tremendous sight.The giant clouds drifted lazily across the rich green landmasses, while the seas were crystal clear and blue.I fell in a trance, as the splendour of my world suddenly hit me.That image, of the planet, as it eventually got smaller and smaller, was forever burned into my mind.That was what I was going to be fighting for.I continued to stare, even as I could see less and less of it with each passing second, and for the short time I could see it, a feeling of responsibility, of duty and pride came over me, and right then and there, I knew I wasn't coming back until I was able to protect that planet by myself.

Krillin allowed me to stare to my hearts content, before finally snapping me out of it."Uh... Cris?"He asked slowly.

I turned to him, my eyes watery and my heart heavy."Yeah."I replied.

"You o.k?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."


	6. Crono's Story (Chapter 5)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 5

Cris

_ _

"You hungry at all?"Krillin asked me, as I slowly backed away from the window.

"Not at all actually."I retorted, shaking my head.Though I hadn't eaten in almost a day, I wasn't the slightest bit hungry."Even though I haven't eaten for a long time.Weird."

"Not really.That senzu bean that you ate, it'll keep you full for almost a week.I forgot about that." I wasn't sure if I'd heard him right; a week seemed kind of hard to believe.It was a strange day though, so I didn't bother to ask if he was serious.The ship was now speeding past another planet, which I correctly assumed to be Mars, and I wondered how long it would be till we got to our destination.

I studied Krillin silently, as he rummaged through a backpack leaning against the wall.His power was mind boggling, but on the ship, and at rest, he seemed completely normal.He pulled his head out of the bag and exclaimed, "Ah, that's where I put it!"He shot up off the floor and raced to the pilots' controls.There he rummaged around a bit more, and as I moved to get a better view of him, he pulled a small object from under the desk-like control panel.

"Here it is."He turned to face me, and I stopped in my tracks.In his hand was what looked like a phone headset, with a few alterations.It had a white earpiece with a small blue screen attached, obviously to serve as some sort of screen.He put the white part on his left ear so the display covered his eye.He then pushed a small button on the white section and the monitor suddenly sprang to life, emitting beeping sounds and flashing a combination of numerals and strange figures.

"What's that?" I questioned.

He replied after pressing the button a few more times, "It's called a scouter.It'll let me see your power expressed as a number."He said casually, "It's basically a method to get an approximation of your power level."He then pressed the button a final time, and then dropped his hand.I couldn't make out the number on the screen, so I asked him, "What does it say?"

He bit his lip slightly and then replied, "304."

I hesitantly asked, "Is that good?"

He looked at me sideways faced and then replied, "Compared to a normal human being, you'd be incredibly strong, but the people we're fighting have power levels anywhere from ten thousand to a hundred million."I gasped as he spoke, and found myself at a loss for words.I stood there in stunned silence, and after performing some thumbnail calculations, figured out how much I'd have to improve to reach even the weakest of them.

"You mean I'll have to get 30 times stronger than I am now to be able to take one of these guys?"

He nodded slightly, and then turned to face the unconscious Triono."Let's see what his power level is at."He pushed the button again, and then after a few seconds said "270.Probably a bit low because he's unconscious."

In order to get an idea of how powerful these guys were I asked, "What's your power level at?"

"Last time I checked, it was near 500,000."

I wasn't exactly sure what to make of the figure.On one hand, he was far stronger than Triono or I, and was quite obviously a force to be reckoned with; but on the other hand, he was practically nothing compared to some of the stronger enemies that were heading towards his Earth."Please tell me Triono and I aren't the only guys going to fight these guys."

He responded quickly enough to put my mind at ease, "Oh hell no.Don't worry, there were at least four humans that were training for the aliens when I left.Plus if they reached the warrior I was going to recruit on Namek, that makes a total of seven."

Even with the answer he seemed a little off set."What's wrong?"

"Well, you see the humans on my planet have been training for a while already.When I left, their power levels were around 3,000 each."

I smacked my lips and said, "Great, so ten times stronger than me?"

"Basically yeah."He paused briefly before attempting to reassure me, "But all that means is that you and Triono are going to have to train a whole lot harder to catch up to them."

"Well I know I'll try my best, but I can't speak for Triono.He despises training of any kind, he just fights."

Krillin grinned slightly, showing off his sparkling white teeth, "That's because he's a saiyan, it's in their blood to fight, and do nothing else.But even the most pig-headed of them learned that training can help you out a lot more than fighting."

A voice startled both of us, causing me to almost jump onto the roof."What the hell are you guys talking about?"It was Triono, who was now out of his seat, the restraints thrown askew across the ship's floor."What the hell is this?"We both turned to Triono, then looked at each other, both wanting the other to explain."Well?Where am I?Cris what are you doing here?How did you survive?"He was focused on me for a little while, and I could see his shoulders heaving, his blood rushing quickly, but then he spotted Krillin and turned to him.

"You!!!"He rushed full force at Krillin, and attempted to spear my newfound friend.

I yelled hoping to stop Triono "Wait Triono!"And it seemed to work, he pulled up just feet from Krillin, and suddenly his breathing was shallower, and I could sense the anger leaving him.Then I saw Krillin in front of him, his palm was out-stretched towards Triono, and I could hear Krillin whispering softly, "It's ok, no one's here to hurt you.Just take a seat, and the answers will come."

Triono did exactly as he said, and upon realizing just how out of character it was for Triono to listen to anyone, I felt some sort of ki stream coming forth from Krillin's palm towards Triono's forehead.Krillin must have had the ability to calm people's minds, or something along those lines, because Triono's previously tense body relaxed and he sat back down in his chair.His angered expression was replaced by one of uneasy peacefulness.

Krillin walked up to him, and placed his hand on Triono's forehead."I'll pass over my memories now, the ones that will clarify everything."He then closed his eyes and Triono did the same.I stood there dumbfounded at Triono's sudden change of attitude.Within a few seconds, Krillin slowly took his hand away and they both opened their eyes in unison.

Triono calmly asked, "So are we almost there yet?"I was instantly amazed at how coherent he seemed; whatever Krillin had done had not only calmed him down, but also given him a state of awareness I'd rarely seen in Triono.

"We're almost there." Krillin replied, as he sat back down in the pilot's chair.I gazed out the window again, and saw Uranus slowly crawling by the screen.The speed of the ship was amazing, far beyond anything my universe had ever created.When I turned my vision back into the ship, I caught Triono staring at me.He didn't say anything, just looked me up and then down.I returned the favour, not one to let him get the best of me. Considering the beating Krillin had given him, he didn't look all that bad.His face was cut in a few places, and his arms were badly bruised, but he and I both knew it could've been a lot worse. I then realized something wasn't right though, and before long it hit me.He was completely clothed once again, this time in a tunic and loose fitting pants.After the transformation he was as naked as Donald Duck, but now he was just as covered as I.

"Where'd you get those?"I wondered aloud.

"I put them on him, right after take-off, you were looking out the window still."Krillin answered for me, almost off-handily.Before I could ask how Krillin had managed to get them on Triono without me noticing, he continued, "We're almost there, just around the corner basically.You guys wanna come up here and take a look?"

Triono and I both walked towards where Krillin was seated.He was busy fidgeting with the controls, but Triono and I both looked out, towards the scenery.Without looking up, Krillin asked, "Can you see it?"

We both stared, squinting into the starlit darkness.I was scanning the proverbial horizon, when suddenly one of the brighter stars seemingly dimmed out of view.I quickly pointed and wondered aloud, "Is that it?"

Krillin looked up and grinned, then nodded and hunched back over the controls."Very good Cris.The warp has about the same visual effect as a black hole, only a bit less powerful.You can see through the gate to my dimension, but not very well."

"So are we gonna make it?"Triono asked with a slight hint of tension in his voice.

"We should get to it in time, the problem may be piloting this bulky ship through the narrow gate-way, it's getting smaller every second."I sighed, there wasn't anything I could do, and I hated that.We continued to move onward, to a distance where Pluto was getting progressively smaller in the rear window.The "gate" was now dimming more and more stars as we came closer to it and it took up more of the front window.Soon it was completely encompassing the view outside, and I began feeling a lot of tension coming from Krillin.I directed my attention to him.He was sweating heavily, his fingers racing across the controls at a pace quite literally near the speed of light; I couldn't even see his hands move, they just appeared as a sort of blur.I blinked a few times to make sure I was seeing it correctly, then I tapped the nearby Triono on the shoulder, and nodded towards the pilot.Triono's jaw dropped when he saw Krillin at work, as we both stared at his amazing hand speed.He then broke our concentration by saying, "Hold on," tension was straining his already squeaky voice, "almost there!"

Suddenly a sort of gray wave went through the ship, like a kind of ripple of silence and un-being.As we passed through the gate, I turned away to my left and looked out the window.To my horrifying surprise, I saw nothing.Complete and utter darkness encompassed the window, shadowing over it with a foretelling shade of black.I didn't want to believe that such absolute blackness existed, and I guess in a way, it didn't.It was just a gap between dimensions, a rip of time and space, a fluid of…black. 

We had passed through the gate, and the gray tint that had engulfed the ship faded away, leaving the yellowish colour from the on-board strobe lights.Krillin fell back onto his seat, almost exhausted, and then looked to the both of us before saying, "We made it, not by much, but we did it.Now we just gotta head back to Earth, and then you guys can get started."

I swallowed deeply, as the ship banked to the right, and shot straight around this universe's Pluto.I was amazed that they had a Pluto here; in fact I was stunned, which brought up an interesting point."So when are we going to be able to learn the history of yo—" I stopped myself short, "of our dimension."

Krillin stood from his chair, which prompted Triono and I to rise to our full heights.Triono was slightly shorter than I, but still towered over Krillin."When we get to earth, you guys can have a few days to read up on our history, on the Z warriors, on the dragon balls, on everything.Once you're finished that, your training can begin."

Triono didn't try to hide the disgusted look on his face, and I wondered if he would ever agree to train.If he did though, I had a feeling not many people would be able to match up to him.I looked forward to the challenge of preparing for these incoming aliens, even if we were a little behind everyone else, power wise.

"You two should try and relax, it's going to be a hectic first few days before you get into the routine of it."A thought popped in my head, "Who are we going to train with?"I asked.

Krillin was going to answer, but Triono cut him off with a stern voice, "Kami."

I then retorted by asking, "Who's Kami?" not wanting Triono to think he could cut me off without a reply.

Triono turned to me, arms crossed, a firm look on his face, "He's the guardian of their, of our, Earth.Kind of like god, except here commonplace people know he isn't all-powerful.Now and days his only job is to train warriors like us for the battle ahead."

"That's right," Krillin continued, "he was originally a sort of Z-warrior.He helped us fight against Freeza, and afterwards he went with the rest of his species to their new home world.When our Kami fused with a warrior named Piccolo, we called on him to come and be the next Kami of Earth."

"Ok, so how long will we train under him?"I asked.

"Probably until they arrive on Earth.You'll probably gravitron train for a while, I don't know how well your bodies will be able to stand up against the higher settings, but if we prepare you well enough, you should do fine."I didn't fully understand what he meant, but I kept my mouth shut.

Suddenly I was getting very tired, so I threw myself into one of the chairs, closed my eyes and relaxed.I tried replaying the day's events in my head, but I couldn't; the order was all screwed up.So I ditched the idea and pictured Seana again.I was instantly calm, and for several minutes I just sat there, her face a vigilant reminder of what I was doing on this ship; hell, in this dimension.

Krillin suddenly snapped me out of my serenity, calling for seatbelts on all seats to be activated.Suddenly my restraints wrapped themselves around me, and I opened my eyes.Earth, a brand new one, with a number of different landmasses, took up the whole front view, and again my breath was taken away.This Earth was drastically different from mine.There was virtually no hint of pollution or anything like that, just the greens, blues and whites that naturally occurred on a planet like Earth.

"We're going in!"Krillin exclaimed, and no sooner did flames begin to dance across the front window.And in just a few seconds, we were covered in flames, performing a nosedive through the atmosphere.The ship remained cool even as we passed through the intense, metal smelting heat of the Earth's atmosphere.The flames soon took up the entire view, and the inside of the ship was tinted red from the flames.Though a type of fear embraced my heart, it was nothing like when we were setting off from my Earth.Before long, we passed through the flames and were plummeting towards a huge expanse of green a few hundred kilometres below, "Can't you slow this thing down?"I yelled to Krillin over the roaring of the engines, which were now struggling against gravity.Krillin yelled something, but I couldn't hear him.We continued going full speed towards the earth, and I asked again, "We gonna slow down anytime soon?"

No sooner did I shout out my cry then we began to slow down.But there was no time for just slowing down, we had to stop, right then. Everything but the landmass we were slamming straight towards had been blocked out of view, and the ground couldn't have been more than five kilometres down, yet we continued to move at nearly 500 m.p.h. I didn't think we'd survive the crash landing.I could've sworn we weren't more than five feet from the ground when we slowed to a crawl and then with a barely audible "pop" touched down on the ground.
    
    My seatbelt came off, and then I took another deep breath (I seemed to be having a lot of them), before I got up and headed for the doorway.Triono and Krillin quickly came behind me, and Krillin moved to a control pad to the side and punched a few buttons.The doorway to a brand new life slowly opened itself to me.
    
     


	7. Crono's Story (Chapter 6)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 6

Krillin

To say that the upcoming day was going to be a big one for my new recruits would be quite an understatement.That day would determine if they could truly stand by themselves compared to the other Z warriors.I had no idea how much the other fighter's had improved since I'd left, and I honestly didn't want to know.There were just too many factors working against them, and though I had just met both of them, I didn't want to see them fail.They were extremely young, and while I doubted Triono had many roots or family members in his dimension, Cris probably had tons; and ripping him apart from them may have had a bigger impact than he imagined.But what was done was done; there was no chance of going back now.

All three of us stepped out of the pod as the walkway slowly extended itself out in front of us.The greenery of my Earth was a sight for sore eyes after having to look at nothing but the barren wastelands that Triono and Cris called home.I turned and found them both awe-struck by the natural beauty of my planet.I took in a breath of invigorating air, and the dirty, encrusted feeling I'd had since arriving on Cris and Triono's planet vanished.There was a freshness, a sort of renewing factor on my planet, that Cris and Triono's Earth lacked.

The two of them amazed me; their power was untamed, raw and wild, power in its most basic form.Triono was 13, and yet he was more powerful than Goku was at that age.He didn't match up to the young Gohan, but that was only because he hadn't been properly trained, yet.I was even more astounded though, at how much Triono looked like Goku.The resemblance was un-canny, everything from the beefy arms to the spiky black hair to the remarkably familiar facial features.I didn't know if he was a full saiyan or not, even after reading his memories, because he honestly didn't know himself.I'd seen everything that was of importance to him, and in doing so, I gained a respect for him that not even Cris had.He'd been through things that Cris couldn't even imagine, such as his mother, who came up in his memories quite often.

I was sure that Triono was capable of becoming a formidable warrior, but he would have to get over his fear, or maybe hatred, of training.Kami wouldn't take it easy on him, and I couldn't have him buckle; he'd be the only super saiyan against the Caprians, and that made him the most valuable commodity we had.

"So where are we going to now?"Cris asked through squinting eyes, as the sun came glaring on us from high above.I was just about to answer by flying off with them in tow to Sky Palace, when I became aware of a very powerful force not a kilometre to our left.I instantly recognized it as Nacran.Shit, we didn't need this now; I couldn't take him alone, much less with two potential hostages practically gift wrapped for him.He came towards us far too quickly to prepare either of my trainees; I barely saw him before he touched down in front of us.

I sensed the tension from my pair of newbies, and I'm sure they could sense mine.My thought was confirmed when Cris fell into his fighting stance facing Nacran.Triono either realized Nacran was too strong for them, or he didn't want a fight right then, as he did absolutely nothing but stare at the new menace that had presented itself to us.

"What you got here?"Nacran asked, in his heavy, western accent.His tall, blue body heaved up and down with each syllable, in a matter that hit me as quite disgusting.I couldn't let him have them; Triono was still corruptible, and I didn't want to lose Cris fighting a foe way more powerful than him.I knew what this was going to come down to already, the Destructo Disc.I began gathering a bit of the energy on my arm, so it would be ready for a Destructo Disc before long.

"Just leave now Nacran, I don't have time to deal with you right now."I replied as I continued garnering the energy I'd need. I knew it would be far too long before I had gathered the necessary energy though.

"You mean you don't have time to die?"This caused even Triono to tense up to my left."I just wanna know what you got here, new recruits no doubt. Eh?"He asked rhetorically, "You can't beat us. Don't you realize that yet?"

It was then that Triono decided to open his mouth, "It won't even be a challenge beating your disgusting race."I really wish he hadn't done that.Cris stood behind me scared out of his mind, even though he didn't know that Nacran was the head of the scouting team that had found out about the dragon balls for the Caprians, he didn't know that Nacran's power level was rated as high as six hundred thousand, and he sure as hell didn't know that I'd barely survived my last encounter with him.

Nacran looked to Triono, and then replied to me, "Lippy workforce you got here."He then took a few steps towards Triono, and Cris quickly jumped to his right, getting behind Nacran and creating a pincer between him and Triono.I was about to screw stealth and just power up my destructo disc, but then Nacran took matters into his own hands.

"Maybe it's time I should show them how to give some respect."He raised his right hand and before either Cris or I could do anything, he fired a small ki blast from his palm straight towards Triono.The green blast hit Triono at full force, shearing through his body like it was paper, and in less than a second, Triono had a hole roughly the size of a fist straight through his torso.He fell to the ground like a ton of bricks, blood gushing out at exponential rates.

"Noooooooooo!!!" A horrified scream rang out in the air, away from Triono.I turned to find Cris shaking un-controllably in anger.This shocked me almost as much as Triono's idiotic taunt.In all Triono's memories, he'd seen Cris as nothing more than a rival, the only enemy who earned his respect, and Triono had always thought that Cris saw him in the same light.Perhaps Cris was hiding his true intentions.

Cris then did something I never expected.He brought his hands back to his hip and began charging his ki, screaming out, "Ka-----" I had an idea of where this was going, "me-------" I then realized he was going for a Kamehameha, Kami knows where he learnt it.Nacran turned to face Cris, staring at the boiling human fighter.It was all the chance I needed.I cleared my mind, paused and with one great push, zanzokened five metres behind Nacran.I raised my hand, palm outstretched, and began finished charging one slick, deadly Destructo Disc.

"Ha-----me----" Cris continued, concentrating his ki with all his effort.Nacran remained focused on Cris, as the burly alien's scouter began beeping wildly, obviously meaning Cris could raise his power level by concentrating his energy.My destructo disc was now complete, hanging above my head, ready to go."Ha!!!!" Cris screamed out at the top of his lungs as he let his ki blast loose on Nacran.

With minimal effort, the dark skinned Caprian easily sent the blast to the side, as Cris stood still, exasperated.It was all the opening I needed, and I quickly launched my attack.It was on Nacran before he could even turn to face it.It sliced through his armor, skin, and then straight through the rest of his torso.Blood sprayed in all directions, but that didn't stop Cris from shooting to the side of the Destructo Disc's path as it continued its torrent straight towards the hillside.I knew that eventually it'd run out of energy and disintegrate.

Nacran uttered no death scream, no final cry of pain, just a few gurgles before death claimed him.Triono was considerably louder.He screamed his for all he was worth as Cris and I both ran to him.We bent over him, but there was nothing we could do, he was dying.Blood had already soaked into the ground, replaced by a batch of fresh crimson from Triono's saiyan heart."He…help, m." He attempted to scream, agony and fear weakening his words.

I passed my hand over his head to dampen his pain receptors, far better than any kind of painkiller we had.He quieted somewhat, but he still clasped onto Cris shoulder as blood began coughing itself up from his throat.When he'd finally cleared enough of the liquid from his mouth to speak again, he said only one thing. "I'm gonna see her again Cris. I… I can't wait to see her again."He then went limp, and his head drooped back.

I heard Cris sobbing, as he set Triono's body to the ground and then in disgust vomited off to the side.It struck something inside of me, maybe it was just because Triono looked so much like Goku, but something hit me. And suddenly I just wanted to go back to life with 18, just settle down again, and not care about anything. Just enjoy my time in the other dimension with Gohan, Yamcha and the others.I suddenly longed for the carefree days long since past.The dragon balls could not ensure happiness, especially not for souls that had witnessed as much as mine had.

I rose from the ground, stepped over the mess that had been Triono, and pulled Cris up from where he was weeping.His eyes were red and teary, his face was grim, and I could only find one way to consolidate him."We'll wish him back, don't worry."

"What are you talking about?" He replied a few seconds later.

"Remember those dragon balls that I told you about, the ones that the aliens are coming for?"I paused, not long enough to let him answer, but long enough to let the question sink in, "They can bring people back from the dead."

He just looked at me with an odd face, like he was seeing if I was lying or not. When he finally realized I was telling the truth, he hiccupped a little, and then nodded.I took my hands off him and let him collect himself.After a while he asked, "Who was that guy who attacked us?"And pointed to one half of the body of Nacran."His name was Nacran. He was part of the search party that discovered the dragon balls power.He was the captain actually, he was even more powerful than me."Cris nodded absent-mindedly, and then his jaw dropped.

"Triono! His body, it's gone!"He exclaimed as he pointed behind me.I turned and saw that, sure enough, Triono's body was gone, leaving only a blood-soaked patch of grass where it should have been.

"Kami."I thought out loud.

"Where did he take his body?"Cris questioned, a thrill volume to his speech, "And how did he move so fast we didn't even see him?"

I smirked at his innocence slightly; he really had no idea what he was talking about."He took his body to the check-in station in the other dimension.Only his body will be completely healed and fighting fit.There he'll probably go to King Kai's place and train with him, if King Yemma lets him that is.Oh and he didn't come here at all, he takes the souls and bodies of people from this dimension every day, with just a thought."

By the puzzled look on his face, I could tell I'd gone right over his head, so before he could ask anything I said, "Don't worry, you can find out everything very soon.In-fact let's go right now to…" I was going to say Master Roshi's house where he could relax and read up on the history, but then I remembered him pulling off the Kamehameha and instead I asked, "Where did you learn the Kamehameha?"

He seemed a bit taken aback by the sudden question, but slowly answered, "I read about it from some ancient Chinese scrolls.I perfected it two years ago."

I didn't know who or what the Chinese were, but if they knew about the Kamehameha, they must've been some sorts of warriors."The person who created it here goes by the name Master Roshi.He taught it to Goku, Yamcha and I."He again appeared to not know what I was talking about, so I explained in some detail."He trained Goku, Yamcha and I when we were kids, about Triono's age.He's the main reason Goku went on to become the most powerful being in the universe.The Kamehameha was Goku's most powerful move throughout his whole life, because it's an extension of one's own ki power."He appeared to catch on a bit better, so I continued my previous thought."Anyways, let's get going to his, Master Roshi's house right now. You can read up on the history of the dimension from there, and you can rest up before your training with Kami."

Cris nodded, and then with one final glance at the scene of Triono's death, he gave me the go ahead nod.I covered both of us in my aura, and then shot up into the sky, off to the southeast and my old stomping grounds.


	8. Crono's Story (Chapter 7)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 7

Cris

_ _

The days after my impromptu arrival in Krillin's dimension and Triono's death were probably the most relaxing I ever experienced during my stay there.After Krillin took to me to Master Roshi's house off in the far east, he gave me hordes of books and data pads to read about the history of the Z warriors and such.

I tried to absorb as much of the information as I could.I read about Goku and Bulma's journeys at the beginning for the dragon balls.I read about how Goku made enemy after enemy transform into a friend, how Piccolo killed Goku and his brother in one fail swoop. I read about the battle against Vegeta, about the super saiyans, about both versions of Trunks, about Gohan and his classic battle with Cell, about Goku being turned back into a child by Pilaf, and then finally absorbing the dragon balls into himself.I read even more on how slowly, each of the original Z Warriors died of old age the 100 years in-between Goku's absorption of the dragon balls and his appearance at the Tenkaichi Budoukai.I read how Goku disappeared yet again right after, and how Pan, Goku Jr., Vegeta Jr. and eventually each of the remaining Z Warriors went off into space afterwards, in search of the great Kakorot. I read how the Earth was left completely defenceless afterwards.I don't think I ever read so much in my entire life, but within five days I'd digested the entire history of the dragon balls, and began to understand some very important concepts.

Like who we were going to fight for one.The aliens coming after the dragon balls were called the Caprians, but in reality there were too many races to name within the ranks of the oncoming enemy.I didn't want to even think about how powerful their leader, General Yoorabit was; he'd been seen destroying entire solar systems, for fun, before heading towards earth.Three years didn't seem like enough time to prepare for the looming assault.But thanks to King Kai up in the Other Dimension, we knew the plan of their attack, which would consist of three attack waves.

The first wave would arrive in a little under three years, and consisted of mostly front line soldiers and supplies.Their job would be to soften up the defences of the planet, and set up base camps for the second wave.The second leg of the attack would consist of the bulk of the army.It would have the more powerful elite troops, and would probably be doing most of the fighting.It would arrive three months after the first wave.The last wave was really just General Yoorabit and his elite cadre of guards, and that would come another three months after the second wave.

Yoorabit himself was Caprian, but most of the men under his command were of different species.Almost all of them were mutants, genetically engineered or enhanced to be better fighters, and coupled with the gravity training they were using, the universe had never seen such a large number of super powered fighters; no doubt we had our work cut out for us.

Ah, the "we" aspect of things.There was a "we", that much was sure.The new generation of Z Warriors consisted of six humans (including me), one Namek, and two saiyan.That's right, two; there was another saiyan besides Triono.And of all my allies' stories, Phoenix's was the most intriguing.

He was originally a Tyran; a race of small, weak, psionically-gifted and brilliant people.They all had the ability to alter people's thoughts, read minds, and even move small objects with their mind.Phoenix's real name was Younthat Katat, and was one of the most powerful Tyranese in the universe.His amazing psychic and psionic powers allowed him to bring Tyran up to a universal economic power through shrewd negotiations and dealings.He was on his way to Earth to see if there was any way he could aid the Earth warriors against the incoming threat, when he passed through the rubble of the old planet Vegeta, the home of the saiyan race.

It's said in old tales that when a warrior dies, a piece of his soul goes back home.Most believe this is just a legend, but Phoenix proved them all wrong.Katat's ship crashed into some of the debris of the planet, crippling both Katat and his ship.Holding onto life with a very thing thread, he used his powerful mind to attract what he thought was remnant ki energy in an attempt to replenish his strength enough to repair his ship.In actuality though, he garnered the spirits of all those dead saiyans.Something happened when all those spectres attached themselves to Katat.He recalls a brilliant flash, and then fire covering his body before slipping into unconsciousness.

Spectators from the nearby planet of Kafatar back his story up, saying that a bright flare torched the sky from far away.When Katat came to, he had changed completely.His body had been replaced by that of a saiyans, right down to his genetic make-up.He claimed to have been reborn (hence the name Phoenix), and that he had the memories of all those saiyans.Whether it was true or not was known only to him, but when he spoke, his words resembled those of a sage, so many assumed he told the truth.

I hadn't met him yet, so I reserved judgment, but his story did intrigue me.The rest of the group fell into place as such:Karnai, the namek warrior Krillin had originally gone to see (it was believed he was a direct descendant of Piccolo, but no one knows for sure, even though he seemed to look a lot like him), Arsenia, a human who was raised in the streets of the western capitol, Gideon, a bulky black skinned human who was a descendent of Tien, Yukia, a lanky and hard-nosed human, and Kennard another human who was the training partner of Yukia.Then there was Nikita, the only woman recruited by Krillin and Kami; she wasn't as strong as the rest of them, but was nearly four years younger than the rest of them.She was 15, just like me, and a bit closer to my power level, near 1000.She had a sort of power that closely resembled Son Gohan as well; when she was pissed, she could magnify her fighting power ten-fold, in an instant.

Only Karnai trained under someone other than Kami his whole life; the rest had never prepared with another masters, or by themselves.I was sort of amazed when I found out about this.None of them had walked down the path Goku had, training under Master Roshi first.I didn't understand this; during my time with him he'd treated me like a king.He'd given me tons of space in which to recover in, a room with a beautiful view of the ocean and sky, and food more delicious than anything I'd ever had before.For five days, he gave me anything I wanted, with no questions.And in doing so, I felt kind of sorry for him.Since all his friends had long since passed away from old age (which I found out he was immune to), he was left with little company.It was after I had dissected and re-organized the history of the planet in my head when I finally went up to Master Roshi on the evening of the fifth day.It was 8:30, I remember looking at the clock on the wall, and sweating the whole time.

There were butterflies in my stomach; he hadn't spoken more than two words to me in a row since coming to his house.I took in a deep breath as I stepped in-between him and the T.V.Looking back, that may not have been the best move.As I blocked off his vision, he looked up at me and squinted through his sunglasses.Then he simply asked me "Yes?"

I was forced to take another deep breath.I'd faced death on a platter before, and yet I was afraid of this rickety old man, "I'd like to train under you Master Roshi." I paused as an un-timely lump formed in my throat.I cleared it with a cough and continued, "If it isn't too much of a bother."

He looked me up and down, and then slowly, with the creaking of a thousand bones, got up from the sofa, and nodded.He then walked off to his left, to the open space beside the sofa.I followed him a few steps, and then he stopped, turned to me, and told me flatly."Do five hundred push-up's, five hundred squats, and a thousand sit-ups."

Direct, but no doubt effective, I got down to it.I did the sit-ups first, breezing through them fairly quickly, then moved onto the squats, then after about 20 minutes, got to the push-ups.The whole time, Roshi had sat down on a chair and read some sort of a magazine. Afterwards, I was slightly worse for wear, but couldn't complain, it was a bit more than I was used to doing every morning, but not all that hard.When I was done, Roshi looked up from his reading material and calmly asked, "Done?"

I was breathing heavily and instead of answering just nodded.He got up from the chair and moved to a row of turtle shells that hung on the wall.He examined each of them carefully, moving from one to the next, each getting progressively bigger, before finally "settling" on one of the larger ones.He picked it up from the peg on the wall, then turned to me and flung it at me.I caught it easily, but was amazed at its weight.For something of its size, it must've weighed 40 pounds.He then said, "Go ahead, and put it on."

I turned it around, and found straps around the hollow side of the shell.Assuming correctly, I slung the shell over my back, and attached three straps together over my torso, one over my waist, one under my pectorals, and one by my neck.It felt kind of odd to be carrying an extra forty pounds on my back, but it wasn't hard or anything.The shell reached from the base of my neck to right above my butt.Roshi then lazily went back to his chair, picked up his magazine, and then said, "Now do it again."

I wasn't sure what he meant, but after a while I figured he meant the exercises.I started over again, doing them in the same order.It was much harder to do the second time; the extra weight posed a great problem.Un-like last time, I had trouble in the home stretch.The last fifth of all the exercises was torture, my legs, arms, chest, and stomach all burned by the time I was finished, I hadn't felt like that for a while, it'd been nearly two weeks since I'd trained all out.

I finished though, even if it was almost 45 minutes later.He'd finished the magazine, and was almost done another one by the time I was finished.I was sweating profusely, and was gasping for oxygen, and he just calmly asked, "Done?" again. 

I nodded, and swallowed saliva down a dry throat.Roshi got up again and went on to look over his shells again, moved to the absolute biggest one, picked it up and hurled it at me.I barely managed to catch it, not because of its weight, but because my arms were already burning up.This much bigger one must've weighed 65 or 70 pounds.I took off the old shell and place it carefully off to the side before attaching the new shell securely on my back.This one weighed me down, hell it was almost half my weight, and I found it hard to keep my balance after already having my legs burning.

He then said the one sentence I'd feared."Now do it again." I obliged, and set down to do the exercises.Through about halfway of each of the exercises, I slowed to a crawl's pace, barely getting through the motions.The last hundred push-ups were the hardest; sweat dripped down my forehead and created a pool in the carpet underneath me.The entire I time I was doing them, I doubted if I would finish, but somehow, I did.

On the last push-up I collapsed into a heap on the floor.It must've been nearly an hour and a half since I started the third set, and air eluded me at that moment, but that didn't stop me from trying to capture some anyways.My entire body burned, the muscles refusing to give any more.I could sense Roshi peeking out at me from behind another magazine, and asked, "Done?"

I managed to answer in a hoarse voice "Yes."

"Good. Then that shell shall be your training shell.Whenever you aren't sleeping, you'll be wearing that shell on your back."I nodded, and managed to get up from the now sweat-stunk ground without using my arms, then climbed slowly up the stairs to my bed.It was almost 11 o'clock and I had a feeling I was going to need as much sleep as I could get."I'll tell Krillin you've decided to train under me for the time being."I just nodded, and continued climbing up the stairs, trudging along.Boy, was this going to be fun.


	9. Crono's Story (Chapter 8)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 8

Master Roshi

_ _

In the five months I'd been training Cris, the few hairs that had grown back on my head had fallen off yet again.I didn't think that training the young boy would've been such a difficult task, and in most ways it wasn't.I rarely had to help him with anything, except when I was teaching him a new technique. Even so, any type of physical activity usually resulted in the shedding of my hair, although I don't know why.Other than that he mostly did his own training, but, of course, with my own special touch.

I was amazed at how hard he worked every single day.He never once yielded to the strain he put himself under.I still remember that day he told me he wanted to train under me.I'd never started a student at that high a number of exercises, and never with a shell that heavy.I had trouble believing my eyes when I saw him finish that last push-up.There was no quit in the boy, a trait that would serve him well in the future.

I loved the time we spent together; it was great having another person to talk to besides Umi-Game, to have someone to compete with for the bathroom in the morning, to laugh at funny TV shows with.I missed my friends, they were all in the other dimension, and I felt like that's where I belonged as well.I respected Cris for what he was trying to do, but he would get better training from Kami up in Sky Palace. I knew this, and I think deep down, he did too.

I only wish I could keep up with him; he was going at amazing speeds.In just five months, he'd mastered every move in my repertoire (save one).He'd learnt Bukujutsu, Renzoku, Finger Beams, and most recently, Zanzoken.That last one amazed me the most; he was able to Zanzoken nearly fifty metres, with his shell on, and he could do it several times over before needing a rest.Still, through all his extensive training he never took a day off, never gave way to the burn that was running through his body.He was anxious to learn another technique, but anything I could teach him would turn out useless; there was only one move that he needed to know, and Krillin had said he already knew it.

He was outside practicing his basic physical attacks when the idea came to me.It'd been a while since I'd used one, or even given one out, but the time seemed right for Nimbus to once again be given a new master.I went out back to where Cris wouldn't be able to hear me over the sounds of the ocean, and I yelled out, "Nimbus!"

I waited for a few seconds before the yellow cloud came rocketing out of the sky, from the north.It rushed towards me, and then came to a sudden halt a few feet in front of me.I looked over the cloud, which many years ago would've belonged to Goku.I remembered with a smile the look on Goku's face when I gave him that cloud. He had been ecstatic, and that look was the one I'd always remember about Goku; not him as a super saiyan, not him against Vegeta, but him as a boy who knew no joy greater than receiving a present.

I bent over nimbus, and whispered into it."You have a new master Nimbus."I began."His name is Cris, he is over the house training right now."I continued."You will obey him until he is no more.Please allow him to use your services, he has a heart as pure as any."The Nimbus turned a deep shade of blue, meaning he recognized his new master and agreed with me on his purity.

"Come then."I said, as I stood to my full height and began walking around the house with Nimbus in tow.When I reached the corner nearest Cris, I told the Nimbus to wait where Cris couldn't see him. It obeyed and I continued on. As always, Cris was hard at work, throwing punches, kicks, and various other attacks at his air-based opponent with amazing speed.His back was turned and he didn't see me, so I cleared my throat deeply.

That got his attention, and he turned to face me, then bowed out of respect."Yes Master Roshi?"He asked in a tiny voice.

"I have something for you, Cris."He titled his head and looked at me, not knowing if I was serious.

"What is it?"He asked hesitantly.

I motioned for the Nimbus to come over, and it complied, slowly creeping out of the shade of the house, and into the sunlight.Cris' eyes went wide, his jaw dropped, the air rushed out of his body, as he stared at the slowly moving cloud.After a while he looked straight at me, with the look.

I don't remember much else of that day except for that look.It was nearly identical to the one Goku gave me so many years ago.I grinned so wide I thought I'd be like that permanently as Cris hopped onto the cloud for the first time and said the magic words."Nimbus, let's go!"

They shot off into the distance, Cris' red hair blowing in the wind, while his laughter could be heard for miles on end.I couldn't help but stare at the trail of yellow, even as he went off into the distance, I continued to stare, not caring for anything but the joy on his face.Another image burned into my mind, another memorable moment to cherish.

I continued to stare out into the sea for hours, not caring when he was going to come back.For the longest time all my worries, all my hardships, all the stuff I'd been through in my life didn't seem to matter half as much as that look on Cris' face.I was later told I had that stupid grin on my face for a whole week.


	10. Crono's Story (Chapter 9)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 9

Cris

_ _

I thought I'd known the meaning of the word _challenge_, but after six months of training under the esteemed Master Roshi, I'd considered re-writing it's definition in the dictionary.

To start it off was the morning.Waking up at 4:30 a.m. every single morning, the sun not even rising on the horizon, no birds or blue sky to great you when you wake up.At the start of these illustrious days, I would put on my training clothes, strap on my shell, and then go downstairs to begin training.Every day began the same, torturous practice of the three basic exercises he'd had me perform the day I'd begun training under him; only done several times over.After every week I trained under him he added 100 more push ups and squats, and 200 sit-ups to my wake-up routine.At the end of six months, I was up to 3000 push-ups/squats and twice as many sit-ups every single morning.But that was just for starters.After breakfast, which immediately followed the morning "stretch", I went outside and practiced the most basic punches, kicks, and blocks over and over again, for two hours.I went full speed of course, not stopping for anything, even exhaustion, which was usually settling in right around that time period.

By the time that test of boredom control was over, my entire body felt ready to give up; I couldn't feel my muscles, or even my bones.Luckily I had a small rest period (1 minute) immediately afterwards, followed by a session of practicing my ki attacks.And even though I knew I'd almost reached my maximum potential under Master Roshi, he still hadn't taught me the Kamehameha; so I couldn't practice _it_ during that hour-long period.All-told though, he'd taught me some very handy techniques, such as Bukujutsu (the ability to fly by using my ki energy), and Zanzoken, which basically allowed me to blur out of view and re-appear a small distance away, in the blink of an eye.This maneuver I'd tried to perfect the most, as I knew speed was my greatest ally.He'd also taught me how to control all my other various attacks far better than before.And for all this, I was sincerely grateful.

After my ki attacks, I stretched my body beyond its limits.As a result, I was far more flexible than before I came under Roshi's tutelage.I could split my legs to a 180-degree angle quite easily, and I could twist my torso (among other things) into forms I never knew I could before.After an hour of stretching, the weight-room came into play.I worked out for two sets in a neatly concealed room in the basement of the Turtle-house.I asked Roshi once why he didn't want me to use the gym more often, and he replied that his training methods were engineered more towards speed than strength.Though I agreed, and didn't see why Roshi should change a training formula that had once trained the most powerful warrior in the universe, I began to feel that I was seriously lacking any brute strength.I had a feeling that if I were to face Triono right then, I would be no match for him.

Such frivolous thoughts were soon put to rest though, because after the workout, was dinner.I commented once on why we ate only two meals a day; he said that we didn't need a third, and I couldn't agree more.Rarely was I ever hungry, in-fact, more often than not, I was completely full.Roshi's cooking was, for lack of a better word, amazing, and he often cooked enough to feed a small country.

Soon after supper was a small nap, which lasted about half an hour.He woke me up at 1:30 every afternoon and then we meditated.As it had always been, this was the biggest challenge for me.I knew I could deal with all the physical stress that I was putting my body under, but trying to get me to concentrate on "becoming one with all things surrounding me" was near impossible.I didn't know if there was something wrong with me or not, but I was determined to try and push my way through it, if only to make Master Roshi happy.

After an hour and a half of…attempted meditation, he actually taught me for an hour.Sometimes this consisted of something as simple as correcting my posture on a punch, to something as big as a new technique.This was the hour I paid the most attention to, and the only one in which he really interacted with me in any big way.

After this was close combat training time.He must've taught me eighty ways to break almost every bone in someone's body by the time I was done training under him.We did that for an hour, and then at 5:00 I was left on my own recognizance.Three hours each day I had all to myself.It was true enough that I spent most of it training anyways, but occasionally I took Nimbus to the city and bought some food or supplies for the house.

At 8:00 it was time to go to sleep, and then the next day start it all over again.For six months I'd gone on like that, day after excruciating day, every hour learning something new about my limits. Each time I felt I couldn't push on any longer, each time I thought I would simply collapse, each time I thought I'd have to stop, I didn't.The results were quickly showing, that much was for sure. I felt a lot more powerful than ever before, and one day I purchased a scouter (seems Capsule Corp. had begun mass producing the things) and checked my power level in a mirror.It said 710 in the read-out, but I felt that was a bit low, half a year and I'd only doubled my strength plus change?That didn't sound right, but I figured I must've been suppressing my true power.

No matter though, I was a lot more confident, though I still wondered if Roshi would ever approach me about the Kamehameha.Every night while he was inside watching TV, I secretly practiced it.It was by far my most powerful move, but even with it, I still wasn't in the same range as the rest of my team mates, all of which I still had to meet.I was growing anxious that they while they were getting stronger each day, I wasn't progressing as quickly as the rest of them each day.

So one day, near the end of my sixth month under Roshi, I was considering telling him that I was grateful for his training, but that I was ready to move on, when he turned to me after we'd finished meditating and said, "Do you think you are ready to learn it?"

I was shocked and taken aback by the question. I racked my brain to come up with what he meant, but for some reason the answer eluded me and I didn't reply.He continued on instead, "Well? The Kamehameha is a powerful maneuver, do you think your ready?"I just nodded, un-able to speak, my throat had seized up."All right then."He said, rising from the ground as I did the same, "Let's go."

He walked past me, slowly, and then went on into the house.I followed, walking slowly, my shell bounced slightly on my back.

We walked for what seemed like an eternity, downstairs, to the gym.I helped him clear some room so we could have ample space for the teaching of the move.When we were done that, he turned to me and told me to stand across from him.

We stood at least 10 metres away from each other, both pairs of eyes fixated on the other.We waited for nearly ten seconds before he broke the tension, "Fire away."Was all he said.

I stood dumb-founded, not knowing what he meant, and then suddenly I realized he wanted me to shoot my Kamehameha at him."You sure?"I asked. I knew I was way more powerful than Master Roshi, and if it came down to a match of strength, it was no contest.

"Show me what you got."He said as he proceeded to fall back into his Kamehameha pose.I was still considering whether to do it or not, when he suddenly gave me no choice."Ka----" he said, as a small ball of yellow energy began forming in his cupped hands, "me---" he continued.

I guess I didn't have an option not to."Ka---" I said, and also brought my hands to my hips, preparing the attack."me----"I continued.

"hame-----" Roshi bellowed, his aura becoming more and more powerful.

"hame-----" I echoed, not knowing if he was going to go through with it or not.We both powered up our Kamehameha's to their full extent (which took a few seconds) and then in unison we both screamed out, "HA!!!!"

I whipped out my palms, and shoved the built up river of ki energy from them.The blue stream of energy met Master Roshi's yellow beam in the center of the room.The force was amazing, weights began flying around, and the previously dim room was now ablaze with colour and light.

At first I didn't use my full strength, as I was afraid of injuring my mentor.Soon though I was the one fearing for my life.I pushed with all my strength through my beam, but no matter how much effort I pressed into it, it just wasn't enough.I began sweating beads as I realized Roshi's beam was over-powering my own. My arms, already tired from a day of training, were beginning to give way, and after only 20 seconds of contact, Roshi over-powered me.

I tried dodging the attack at the last second, but it was no use, the yellow beam struck me at full force, sending me flying into the wall.I cracked the wooden wall, but didn't break it; my shell had cushioned the wall from the blow.My back howled in agony, and I fell to the ground, my whole body felt like it was on fire.I tried pushing myself up, but my arms refused to co-operate.

Suddenly as I was trying to get up, I realised I was smoking; literally, I could smell myself, that's how bad it was.Master Roshi was to me in an instant, and with his aid I managed to get up."How…" I began, pausing to take a deep breath, "how, did … you do that?"

He studied me for a second, and then said, "That, is the true power of the Kamehameha."

I must've given him a weird look because I'd never heard him laugh so hard afterwards."What do you mean?"I asked.

He took a deep breath, and I knew I was in for a long explanation."The only thing that separated Goku from any of his partners when he trained under me," He began "and later separated him from Vegeta, was his Kamehameha.He and I are the only ones who have ever reached the full power of the Kamehameha."

"How?" I asked, my head wild with ideas.

Master Roshi just tapped his bald head, and said "It's the mind-set of the user.They must be at peace with all things around them. But more importantly, with themselves, for it is their own power that fuels the fire of the Kamehameha."

With that, Master Roshi walked off, not caring to elaborate any more I suppose. So there was something else to the Kamehameha, a connection to nature, and oneself, that only two people had ever truly mastered. This… was going to be a challenge indeed.


	11. Crono's Story (Chapter 10)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 10

Triono

_ _

If I were forced to choose one, amazingly accurate word to describe Snake Way it would be this: Long.I'd been running non-stop for over seven months, and there was seemingly no end to the gray, scaly road.I'd long since grown sick of the yellow clouds, the red and pink sky, and the same monotonous patterns in the road.

In pure boredom, I'd made a sort of game, seeing which pattern (a pattern typically stretched over a mile) repeated itself the most often through the course of the path.There was the twist (just a curve that bent back and forth over and over), there was the loop (a literal loop, which I had to fly through), there was the valley (a series of hills and dips that often bent 100 metres in either direction), and there was the straight (what do you think that was?).

Before I'd left for King Kai's, King Yemma had taught me how to fly, and given me supplies to take on my long journey.He even gave me two pieces of his special fruit, which was supposed to keep me full for three months.I'd tested it, and sure enough, six months after eating both pieces, I started to get hungry.I'd finished all the other food he'd packed with me soon after, and I hadn't had a meal for nearly two days.

Still, I ran for all I was worth, though I don't know what fuelled me.Whatever it was wouldn't let my legs stop moving.I'd stopped discerning between day and night long ago, as I was far too deprived of sleep to care.

There was one thing I did recognize as I was running though, the end.It came to me like I was in a dream, white, fuzzy out-line and all.I came up to it, still running full speed, and then about five metres before the very end, I slammed on the brakes and came to a screeching halt (literally).

I stood there, not knowing what to make of the dead end.I stared at the plank like tail end of the path, stared out along the horizon, stared down into HFIL, and still found nothing.For several minutes, my numb mind didn't quite figure out there was nothing there, but then it hit me.

I screamed in rage, I didn't have time for this; it'd taken me over half a year to reach the damn place, fuck, I'd gone through puberty on this damn path, and I didn't want to freaking come back empty-handed.I had to remind myself; that was if I was coming back.Until I proved myself to Kami, he wouldn't let them wish me back with the dragon balls.

I wasn't worried though; I knew that if I trained hard enough, they would have no choice but to wish me back.And despite what Cris thought, I did train.If he only knew how many hours I'd devoted to blocking out the very life I led.The taunting, the loneliness, the suffering, everything that was associated with being me. I'd devoted entire days to trying to cut it all off.I hadn't been training like Cris, but I had been training; it was during those long hours of meditation that I developed the Tasaranko and Renzoku, moves which were more powerful than most of those in Cris' repertoire.No doubt Cris was slaving away, dumping his guts out every day, just to prepare for the Caprians.

My frustration rose with each moment I was stranded on that damned tail, to the point where I actually wanted to blow the hell out of something, even if it was strenuous on my body. Luckily before I exploded and ripped the stupid trail apart, I spotted the planet.It was small, green, with what seemed like a road running across one of the axis.I figured that must be where King Kai was.

It looked like it was a good 200 metres away, and at a diagonal angle to the edge of the tail, but reaching it wouldn't be a problem.I crouched, forced what little energy I had remaining into my legs, and then shot up from the gray tail.

Reaching the planet was no problem; landing softly on it was.I came crashing down onto the surface at a speed few could survive.I couldn't understand what was powerful enough to pull me into the ground with such ease.I crashed into the floor face-first, almost surely breaking a few bones in my face, and rattling the rest.Even as I lied on the ground, I was unable get up.

Then I realized there was nothing holding me down except the planet's own gravity.Try as I might, I couldn't rise up from the grass, the gravity was just too immense for me to overpower.I did manage to move my hands so that they were at my sides, ready for me to try and push myself up.I realized it would take all my strength for it to work, so I took a deep, relaxing breath, tried to ignore the immense weight crushing down on me, and then with one gigantic heave, I pushed.

It took me five seconds and a hell of a lot of energy, but I managed to finally get to a position where I could place my arms under me and let my weight rest on them, like in the apex position of a push-up.Next I brought my leg from behind me and set it down under my sternum, allowing the bulk of my torso to balance on it.Finally I used that leg to push up to where I could stand.

I didn't so much achieve a stand as I did a strange squat.The weight on my body was enormous, but I managed to assume a sort of hunched over, legs spread position.Every muscle in my body was forced into action just to stand.I began to understand the reasoning behind King Kai's heavy gravity:If one were forced under a gravity heavy enough for a long enough period of time, they would eventually become strong enough to traverse the effects of the gravity field, and move freely, therefore making them stronger than ever before when they left the gravity.

I looked up and began searching for the legendary Northern Kaio.I didn't have to search very long; I managed to spot a small black form off to my left.My first instinct was of course to move towards him, but the gravity had a little something to say about that.I tried and tried, but the most I could get before tiring out was shifting my body to the form's direction.No sooner did I do that then the form moved off to my right.I was about to turn again, but I then realized my stupidity.

I took a deep breath and then yelled "Hey!"

The figure stopped in his tracks; objective met.He looked around, and I saw that the being itself wasn't black after all; it just wore a black robe that covered most of its body.I saw only part of his face, but what I did see bore a strong resemblance to that of a fish.It was blue, with two large black antennae sticking out from the top of his head, along with blue whisker-like tentacles emitting from his face.I wasn't quite sure if that was King Kai, the legendary martial arts master, or just one of his students.But whoever it was, I'd caught his attention, and I didn't plan on letting slip out of my grasp."Hey," I screamed at the top of my lungs "over here!"

He heard me more clearly this time, and I managed to drudge forward two steps, before needing to suck in more air.He slowly and calmly began walking towards me. The gravity seemed to have no effect on him; he moved effortlessly.

In a few seconds he'd crossed the small horizon and was right in front of me."Are you King Kai?"I asked through gasping breaths.

He just nodded in affirmation, and I wasted no time."I'm here to receive martial arts training from you, sir."I wouldn't usually show so much respect to an old guy like him, but if what King Yemma told me was true, he was amazingly powerful.

He looked me up and down, walked around my struggling body, examining me thoroughly.I felt like I was under a microscope, with King Kai as the lead scientist.

After he'd made a complete circle, he stared me straight in the face, and asked, "Are you sure you're ready Triono?"

I wasn't surprised he knew my name; King Yemma told me King Kai knew almost everything (which I found a little hard to believe)."Yes. I have to be."

He raised his eyebrow, and studied me again with newfound interest."The situation is that dire?"

From what I'd pulled from Krillin's mind, it was."Yes, I have to get a lot stronger, in just two and a half years.And since I'm dead, I heard you're the best trainer in this dimension."

A big grin spread across his face, and he nodded slightly."Well, I could train you…" He placed all the emphasis on could, meaning he didn't have to.I gave him the fiercest look I could under the circumstances, and he just continued on, "but before I do…" God could he make this any more prolonged?"You have to pass one simple test."

I stared at him wide-eyed, fearing he was going to make me fight him or something, I could hardly move under this gravity; I was in no shape to do battle with him.Luckily he passed grace on me this time."Try and make me laugh."He said with a grin the size of Kansas on his face.

Seemed simple enough, it'd be easier than beating Cris… right?I racked my brain, but at that present time my joke section was clocking zero.I had nothing, and I panicked. I'd never had time for jokes on Earth; in fact, I'd never had anyone to tell me any.

King Kai looked at me through those sunglasses and I realized I was sweating heavily.I then made a conscious effort to calm my breath, clear my mind, and let the joke come to me.After what seemed like an eternity, one popped in my head.

"Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?"It was corny, but I was coming up empty.He didn't respond so I continued, "He didn't have the guts!"I could've sworn there was drum-roll to a symbol smash somewhere in the background.At first there was nothing, but then a slight rocking of the shoulders, then King Kai turned around so I couldn't see his face.I thought I heard him giggling though, so I kept at it.

"Why is six afraid of seven?"He turned and gave me another huge grin, and I could tell I was almost there, "'cause seven eight nine."

He brought his hands up to his mouth to prevent me from finishing him off, but I could smell the sweet taste of victory, just at my fingertips.It was time for the finishing blow."Two men walked into a bar, and the third" I paused for dramatic effect, "he ducked!"I threw as much emphasis as I could onto the last part.

As I'd suspected he'd do, King Kai exploded in laughter, better than a Molotov cocktail.He literally tipped over in laughter. I didn't think it was that funny, but just because of the absurdity of the situation, I smiled slightly.

I let him laugh for a few minutes before he finally collected himself.He was gasping for air and still giggling slightly when he finally talked to me again."Ok, I guess I can train you."

I nodded, and then asked, "So what do I do first?"

He smiled yet again, and then replied by yelling out, "Bubbles!"I looked around, not knowing if he meant a person or a literal bubble.It was neither; instead a small, brown, furry monkey trotted up to King Kai, staring intently with hollow, one-dotted eyes.

I stared back, fixated on the monkey for some un-known reason.King Kai broke my concentration however, stating, "Your first job is to catch bubbles."

I wasn't sure I heard him right, so I asked."Catch him?"

King Kai nodded, and then it hit me.Under this gravity, if I could run as fast as a monkey, then when I left the gravity, I'd be a hell of a lot faster.I nodded in reply and then began my first attempt.I was barely able to step towards Bubbles before he squirted away, hiding behind King Kai.

Something struck Kai as funny, and he started laughing hysterically.I didn't get it, so I remained focused on Bubbles. I managed to step around King Kai and make a grab at the ape, but he shot away again, this time walking to a tree off in the distance.I set after him, barely managing a step a second.I got to the tree, but then he shot off to the other side.By this time, my legs burned, and my back, crushed under the gravity, felt about ready to give up."Bubbles you damn fur-lump, get back here!"Of course he didn't obey, and I was forced to chase him again.

For some reason Cris popped into my head at that specific time.I thought that he'd probably have no trouble catching bubbles, strong as he was, physically.I highly doubted I'd have time to meditate much under King Kai, but I told myself I'd make a distinct effort to at least try.

With that mental note made, I trudged towards Bubbles yet again.


	12. Crono's Story (Chapter 11)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 11

Cris

_ _

I'd been waiting for quite a while now, and while I'd learned patience training under Master Roshi, even my newfound batch of the stuff was nearing its end.It'd been nearly a week since we'd put in the request for the Saibaman, why couldn't Capsule Corp. hurry their lazy asses up?

True, the reason for requesting the Saibaman must've seemed a little strange.Master Roshi wouldn't lie, and he put down on the application:To fight.He'd had to pull some strings to even get the submission looked at.The Saibaman were extremely dangerous and I suppose Capsule Corp. was right to be very picky about who it sold its merchandise to.

A few years after Goku went missing, a human colony found hordes of Saibaman seeds, and they took a few of them back to earth for study.Since then, Capsule Corp. outbid the remnants of Red Ribbon to own the rights to the Saibamen, and began mass-producing them.They'd learned how to control how powerful the Saibaman would be; they could create ones with power levels any where from 200 to 2000.

Roshi and I had put in a request for one with a power level of 1000, not quite as strong as the one's the Z warriors faced on earth so many years ago, but close enough.

Finally it arrived late at night on Friday of the last week of my eighth month in this dimension.Roshi called me downstairs from my room where I'd been reading on some of Goku's old battles, and when I came down, he held a big box in his skinny arms labelled "Highly Dangerous" "Handle With Care".

I smiled widely, and he said "Make sure you get a good sleep tonight, tomorrow might be a long day."

I went right back to my room with all the intentions to go sleep, but I just couldn't, I felt like a giddy kid the night before Christmas.I knew the battle the next day would be brutal, but I felt certain I could take it.

I'd told Master Roshi that I just wanted to fight the Saibaman to gauge my abilities, but I had an ulterior motive.I believed that I performed my best when everything was on the line, and in the two months I'd been trying, I still couldn't master the full power of the Kamehameha.I felt that if my life were on the line, I would be pushed far enough to do it.

I knew I needed sleep, but it didn't come, even after Master Roshi went to bed, I lied fully awake.I tried everything, but I just couldn't relax.Then an idea came to me.

I reached under my wooden bed, feeling around before my hand came on it.I snatched it up and flicked on a light switch using my mind (one of the few tricks I learned during meditation).I hadn't looked at her picture in almost a month, but I still longed to be with her.

The picture was now torn and tattered, bent around the edges, and the image itself fading off slightly.Still I could never forget her face; it was burned into my mind.Whenever I felt like giving into the tired arms or the fear of death, I just recalled that picture in my mind.I brushed my hand against the portrait, and suddenly I was completely calm.I stared at the picture for another few seconds then put it back in its place on the floor, flicked off the light again and went to sleep.

The next morning Master Roshi let me sleep in an extra hour, no doubt he knew I'd need all the rest I could get.As soon as I was awake I went downstairs and was about to begin my morning exercises but he stopped me, saying I'd need all the energy I could save.I just agreed, but there was something strange about how he said it.

After we ate breakfast, he climbed on-board Nimbus with me and we headed in-land.We landed near a large mountain range that reminded me of the Rocky Mountains back home.It was also near where Son Goku's house used to be.

We set down in an open field, with forests off to the east and the mountains to the west.Master Roshi had taken out the Saibaman capsule earlier in the morning, and all he had to do was plant it in the ground.

I'd worn my best "fighting" clothes.They were tight but allowed for full-mobility.While Roshi covered the planting site with new dirt, I stretched out, loosening up before the match began.After he'd finished covering the Saibaman in soil, he dumped a green gel-like substance over it.

I felt a powerful ki signature emanating from the spot, and I knew the Saibaman was sprouting.Master Roshi scampered away, fearful of the beast.I'd told him that if I failed he would take Nimbus and fly and get one of the Z Warriors to kill it off.

After a few seconds, there was a slight rumbling and then out popped the green little rodent.It flew high into the air, spraying grass and dirt in every direction.Dirt didn't bother me, what did bother me was the fact that I suddenly didn't know if I could take this green beast.

I'd never felt genuine fear like that before, but I quickly quelled it.These last eight months had been the hardest in my life, and I agreed whole-heartedly in the saying: no pain no gain.

The green-skinned midget plopped down about 10 metres in front of me.Its body was heaving up and down, making scraggly noises from its throat.I found it the most disgusting thing I'd ever seen, and I was determined to wipe it from the face of the earth.

A rage, an unquenchable, un-deniable rage the likes of which I'd never felt before exploded from me.I shot straight at the being and struck at it with a flying ki-covered fist.I struck nothing but ground, I didn't so much see as I did sense him Zanzoken above me.As soon as my feet touched the ground I pushed off and shot up straight towards it.It was nearly a hundred metres above me, but I reached it in no time flat.We collided and exchanged a quick flurry of punches that we both blocked fairly easily.

He managed to shove me away back towards the earth but I caught hold of myself and landed softly.He then went on the offensive, flying towards me at a fairly quick clip.Right before he was on me though, I cleared my mind, prepared my legs and as his out-stretched claw whipped towards my head, I zanzokened away off to his right.He caught me in his line of vision and shot at me again, and again I zanzokened, only this time behind him.

He twirled around and swung a wild claw at my head.I easily ducked it and seizing my opportunity, struck him with a fist where his kidneys would be if he were human.Of course he had no internal organs, so it was just like hitting anything else on him.His armor-like skin absorbed most of the hit, and he wasted no time taking another swipe at my head.I was forced to whip my neck to the side to avoid the attack, and rather than trying something again, I kicked with all my might away from the ground.

I went high into the air, and within a single second my green opponent was with me.We struck each other with enough force to crack a mountain, only on one another's skin.I quickly got a step on him though, and managed to land a kick to his side, a punch to his non-existent nose, and a chop to his shoulder before he flew away.

I made sure not to let up, and set off after him.He flew upwards, straight towards the sun.He was much smarter than I suspected, the sun blinded me, and I was forced to hold in the air and blink away the lights.He took his opportunity; the beast was not stupid at all.He did an about-face and crashed into me with a dynamite kick.

I crashed into the ground at an amazing speed, breaking through a few layers of earth until I connected with some rock.My back tingled with pain and my stomach (where he'd hit me) was scraped from his claws.He didn't even give me time to get my wind back.He came down on me with a knee to the abdomen and then hooked his hands together, raised them high above his head and was about to bring them down on my head, but I managed to raise a hand and fire a ki blast straight into his sternum.

It sent him flying a few football field distances away.I collected my breath inside my lungs before shooting up and searching out for my enemy.I felt his ki off to my right.I squinted, and sure enough I spotted my Saiba-buddy running a circle around me, trying to flank me, or something.

Suddenly he zanzokened out of view, and I tried desperately to pick up his ki.I did late, and it cost me, he was only ten metres to my left.I was amazed at his speed, and I barely managed to evade his onslaught.He slashed and hacked with amazing ferocity.On one of his lunges, I was force to jump backwards leaving my legs in front of me.He slashed at my chest, and his body was right over my legs, so I took advantage of my position.

I had enough time to lower my foot slightly and then savagely bring it up.It connected with his chest again, and he was sent flying into the air.I finished my fall backwards and pushed myself into the air with my hands.I was going much slower than him so I speeded my ascent with the help of bukujutsu. He was disoriented in the air so I used a bit of my energy to zanzoken right in front of him.

His small beady eyes opened wide, and I punched him as hard as I could right in-between them.He was barely pushed back by the blow, but I followed it up with a rabbit punch to his chest and a roundhouse kick to his temple.

The kick propelled him through the air, off to my left and a good fifty metres away.I didn't go after him, instead taking the small lull in the action to catch my breath.He halted himself in mid-air and stared down at me, a small dent in his forehead.

The fight up to that point had been going mostly in my favour, but he decided to change all that with a very slick move.He sort of powered up, gaining more and more ki energy, for almost twenty seconds.I let him, for what reason? I have no idea; looking back it was a stupid and foolish mistake.

In one split second he was gone.He completely vanished from view, and I lost all trace of his ki.I frantically searched high and low, but he was nowhere to be found.Then suddenly something came from behind me and hit me in the back.I was propelled forward through the air as I turned to face what I assumed to be the Saibaman.There was nothing there, and I still had no sense of his ki.

I began to panic slightly.No sooner did I begin, than I thought I caught something out of the corner of my eye, down and to the right.I turned to face it, but just as I did so something struck me extremely hard in my chest.I was rocked upwards, and clasped my arms around my chest to comfort the amazing pain that was now in them.

I frantically searched again, but found nothing; I still couldn't see my attacker.The next time he passed I managed to begin to feel his ki, and tried to move my head, but failed and was struck in the jaw with what felt like a foot.My body followed shortly after my head in a less than epic descent to the ground.

After I'd crashed into the ground, I shook my head to clear the little black spots that were clouding my vision and then spat out some brand new blood from the inside of my mouth.I whipped my head around to face the sky above me and whatever it was that I was fighting.

I had no idea the Saibaman could move fast enough to avoid detection from me.It didn't seem fair, if I'd just prevented him from powering up, I knew I wouldn't have been in this shit.Suddenly a memory propped in my head.It was from a while back, maybe six months ago, when he was trying to teach me the Zanzoken technique for the first time.

I knew I didn't really have time to take a trip down memory lane, but I did it anyways.I remembered Master Roshi zanzokening out of view right in front of me.I couldn't even see him blur out of view like I usually could.I suddenly felt his ki behind me and I turned and asked him how he could move fast enough that I couldn't see.He replied saying that if I allowed myself to watch with an "un-moving eye" I would be able to see him zanzoken.

I thought "Why not?" And went for it.I stared at absolutely nothing, just the blue expanse known as the sky.For several seconds, nothing.Then, I thought I could hear that now familiar hissing sound that the Saibaman made.It didn't come from any one real spot, but from seemingly all around.I continued to stare into nothingness, until finally, I began to pick up what seemed like flashes of light, snapping around my vision.To begin I could barely tell the blurs apart from the sky, but after another second or two, they took on the familiar green tone of the Saibaman.

Apparently my methods for spotting were far too in efficient for my opponent, and he didn't mind taking advantage of my motionless position.He smacked me from behind, planting my face into the ground again, and then fired a small ki blast into my exposed back.

I was pushed down into the soil, the skin on my back singing away.I opened my mouth to scream in pain, but I ate only dirt.After what seemed like an eternity of pain, I managed to get up and spit out the earth.My body was racked with pain, but I knew I couldn't lose, not now.

I pulled my body up from the gutter and continued to look with un-moving eyes.I heard the Saibaman right away, and within a second or two, I could see the flashes of green skin.I was un-wavering, and I then realized that my green opponent was just toying with me.He could've struck me at any second, but he wanted to play with his catch first.

I smiled, that would be his biggest mistake.I tried to clear my mind of all impurities, so that my focus was steady.Once I did I saw him.I saw every movement he made, every motion he attempted.He was flying circles around me, at amazing speeds, as if he was always zanzokening.I waited patiently till he began heading in a straight direction, and then I struck.

I zanzokened right in front of him, and he froze in place ahead of me.I stared him down and he took a few hesitant steps back.I don't know if Saibaman have confidence or even consciousness, but I had a feeling they had fear.I knew from that point on the fight was mine to win.

I lunged straight for the Saibaman, and sure enough he placed his arms up in defence of his body, but his arms were what I was lunging for.I grabbed his right forearm with my left hand and flung him into the air.He easily adjusted in mid-flight and was preparing a ki-blast for me while still ascending.I didn't just let him fire it at me though, before it was even ready, I zanzokened behind him and kicked him off to the side again.

I could tell that rapid, non-stop zanzokening had taken a lot out of his body; he didn't even see me get behind him or even try and dodge or block my kick.I flew after his limping body, getting under him and punching him in the stomach.

He flew upwards from the recoil of the punch, and I took the opportunity to power up some ki in my hands.I concentrated all my power to my hands until they felt ready to explode with energy, and then yelled out "Renzoku!!" and released the ki power from my hands.

Of course because he was in the air, he had the chance to dodge a lot of the little Renzoku energy blasts, but I did nail him a few times before he zanzokened out of my line of fire.It didn't matter, I'd used up all my available energy in that flurry, so I was probably going to have to brave it hand-to-hand.

I caught him in the weeds on the ground a few seconds later, his skin acted as a great camouflage.I flew down towards him, sweeping in at a low angle so I'd be right in front of him for just a second.As I thought he would, he whipped out another claw towards me right as I came into range.

I zanzokened behind him right as his out-stretched claw was brushing my head.When I reappeared behind him, I kneed him in the back, raising him off the ground, and causing him to spit a white substance (blood, saliva?) from his mouth.Right as I brought my hammer-locked hands down on his head soon after, he made the strangest sound I'd ever heard from him.It was sort of like a whimper a scared dog makes; only it had the same gurgling that had always come from the Saibaman.

It completely disgusted me, and right then I felt the same rage to wipe him from the face of the planet as when we started the fight.He fell to the floor, his body covered in soot, that white substance, and black bruises.I took a few deep breaths as he rose from the ground again; all that zanzokening had taken its toll on me.After a while he turned to me, his claws clenching and then un-clenching into fists, his whole body heaving with just the struggle to breath.

Suddenly he whipped his hands towards me, claws open.I hopped back quickly, avoiding them, and retaliated by jumping into the air with a slight backwards angle.The Saibaman lunged at me, but just as he came to me, I pushed a small bit of ki into my foot and shouted, "Dynamite Kick!"as I shot straight at him, and drove my ki-immersed foot into his face.I thought the collision was enough to kill him, but I could still feel his ki as he went flying at maybe 200 miles per hour into one of the mountains far away.

I knew I was strong, but I didn't think I could whip him around like that.I vaguely saw a cloud of dust and rock pieces rise up from where he crashed into the mountain.Once I touched to the ground, I set off after him at my full speed run.I was at the mountain in just a few seconds, and sensed his ki near-by.He was just pulling him-self out of the mountainside, a really pissed off look on his ugly face.I smiled, don't know why, but this was becoming fun.

I lunged at him again, and punched with an out-stretched arm where his head was.He narrowly evaded my strike, which shattered more of the mountain, and with my appendage sticking out like that; it left a wide opening in my torso.The Saibaman noticed this too, and slashed violently at my stomach, ripping off most of my shirt, and tearing through several layers of skin.

Blood began pumping from the wound almost instantly, and instinctively I covered it with my left (free hand).Seeing that I'd lost my concentration, my opponent grabbed onto my right (extended) forearm and dug his claws in, searing the flesh and pumping even more crimson liquid out.

I screamed as my pain receptors went off like crazy, and my vision began going out on me.I couldn't, no, I wouldn't, let myself die now.Just as I assured myself of this, the most disgusting, annoying, and mind-blowing sound pounded itself into my ears.

It sounded like someone was running over a million cats all at once, all screaming at the top of their small lungs.My vision returned and I saw that the black and blue face of the Saibaman was nodding up and down, his mouth open.I then realized it was laughing, it had thought it'd won.

I gritted my teeth, and yelled out in agony, hate and fear.I brought my legs together underneath me, pushed them together, and then shot them straight at the fucking piece of crap's head.My feet and his head connected with a SMACK the likes of which I'd never heard before.

He was blasted high above me, towards the top of the mountain.I flew after him, going full speed, the adrenaline, the hate running through me until all I could see was him laughing.I caught up to him no problem, and punched him once in the stomach, crashing him into the mountain again.I turned to my side, so my right hip faced him, brought my leg up and just started kicking him as hard as I could.

I went full speed, and I must've kicked him sixty or seventy times, driving him at least 10 metres into the width of the mountain.I flew into the newly created hole, dragged him out and flung him to the ground, his limp body falling like a feather.That wasn't fast enough for me, so I flew to his body, and hammered him towards the ground with both hands.He crashed into the ground and sent a cloud of dirt, dust and grass flying for several metres.

I was swooping in for the finishing blow as he was trying to get up, when suddenly he stuck his foot out and drove it right into my throat.The blow slightly crushed my voice box, and for several seconds, as I dropped to the ground and stumbled away, I couldn't breathe.Finally after maybe half a minute I began to take in oxygen again, but my lapse had allowed my green buddy to get back to his feet and regain some composure.

I hopped away from him, so we were 50 metres apart.Both of us were tired beyond belief, my muscles were absolute stone.I couldn't believe the Saibaman though, he was still conscious after the beating I'd given him.My anger for him was replaced by respect, and as soon as I accepted that I realized what I needed to do.

I took in a breath, the air pushing down the adrenaline, as I brought my hands to my hips and began focusing my ki."Ka------" I began as I closed my eyes (not usually a smart move, but the Saibaman was still wobbly) and pushed all the energy I had left into my V-shaped palms.

I began then to remember what Master Roshi had said.Be at peace with all things around you, and be at peace with yourself."me-----" I bellowed, the energy rushing through my body faster than ever.I was sort of at peace with the Saibaman, but I wasn't sure about myself.

"Ha------" There was something missing, something that made me sure of myself and all the living things around me, and I only had a very small time to find the thing.My ki was forming into a ball in my palms now, I was running out of time.

I racked my mind, what was it, what was the thing that set me at peace with myself?"me-----" I screamed through clenched teeth as I thought deeply.My energy was completely ready now, I just needed to finish it off.

I began to raise my hands, unsure if I would release the full power of the Kamehameha.I was about half-way to putting my hands in front of me and releasing the energy when it flashed inside my head.I don't know why it didn't come to me sooner.

I saw her not the way she was in the picture that I kept under my bed, but how I saw her the last time I left her.She was asleep, on the couch in her living room, her hair was tousled, her mouth hung open slightly, but her beauty and elegance was still astounding.For the split second that I saw that memory in my mind, I felt invigorated.

"HAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed so loudly I felt like my lungs would explode.I released my beam, it's power almost through me back, it was at least ten times the width of my body, and at least twice as high.I'd never felt power like that before.It's blue tint reminded me of her some how, and as soon as I struck the Saibaman with the attack, I knew it was over.

After I lost all traces of the Saibaman's ki, I ended the beam, and fell to the ground in exhaustion.I heard someone running up from behind me, but I recognized the soft steps as Master Roshi's.I tried to push myself up, but I'd lost too much blood, my right arm felt like it was going to fall off, and I couldn't find any strength anywhere in my body.

Master Roshi came up beside me and kneeled beside me, asking "Are you alright?"

I figured it was rhetorical, so I didn't answer.He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small seed."Here eat this."

Another Senzu Bean I figured, so I quickly snatched it from his palm and crunched it down.Sure enough, in a few seconds, all my strength returned to me, and I felt really good.I was still sore and everything, but I was doing well none the less.

"Thanks Master Roshi!" I exclaimed.

He just nodded, and then turned and asked me "Do you know what you did Cris?"

I was wondering that myself, but I didn't know so I replied "No, not really."

"You did it.You used the Kamehameha's full power."I stood there, and somehow I knew it was true.I didn't know exactly what to say, but Mater Roshi did."So do you know what that means?"

I answered truthfully "No."

He turned back to me, and I thought I saw some tears falling from under his glasses."It means I have nothing more to teach you.You're training under me is complete."I just nodded; I seemed frozen in place there."Tomorrow I'll take you to Karin tower, from there you can go to Sky Palace and begin your training under Kami."

I nodded thinking:Hopefully tomorrow will be easier than today.


	13. Crono's Story (Chapter 12)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 12

Karnai

_ _

I could feel him near me, but I couldn't tell quite where.If only the light had been better, I might've seen him coming, but I couldn't really use that as an excuse, my extra-ordinary hearing should've been enough. He came up behind me, and as I pivoted and swung my elbow towards his head, he zanzokened out of view and he was behind me again.

I kicked behind me with as much force as I could muster in that awkward position (not much).He easily caught my foot and flipped me forward.I fell flat on my face, and a fairly familiar elbow greeted my back rather harshly.All the air was knocked out of my body, quite an unusual occurrence considering my training, but Gideon was an unusual human being.

After he had embarrassed me, he bent down next to me and whispered, "That's game."

I nodded, struggling for air, as he got up and extended a hand in front of me.I grabbed onto it with my left hand and he hoisted me up."Nice match."I struggled out.

"You too."He replied, looking me over for any serious injuries before nodding towards the door to what we'd affectionately dubbed "The Arena".We went out the huge iron doors, and the light from the outside stung my eyes immediately.None of my friends here could understand what it meant to be a Namek, where all the senses are incredibly sensitive and with the high altitude the sun was seemingly closer.

I squinted and kept my head low as we headed out together into the courtyard.Yukia and Kennard were waiting patiently outside, meditating, as Gideon and I left The Arena.Once we'd come completely out, they both got up from the ground and nodded to us as they were heading in.I was trying to rub my sore back while still keeping my eyes out of view of the sun, when a voice startled us all "Wait a minute Yukia and Kennard, don't go in yet."

We turned to the palace entrance, and there was Kami, the only one on the stinking planet that could begin to understand me.But his senses were dull with age, barely equivalent to that of a human's, his best years were behind him, and I found it hard to even talk to him for some reason, I don't know why.

"Don't go into The Arena, there's someone I want you all to meet."

Yukia, Kennard, Gideon and I all headed to the palace from the entrance to The Arena.Arsenia was off somewhere near the edge practicing his ki attacks before he went to Kami, while Nikita and Phoenix were already at the palace.Sky Palace had been re-fitted shortly after Goku's disappearance.It was now nearly three times as big as it used to be, and in addition to The Arena, there was a gym, a larger courtyard, and a bunch of small rooms used for meditation and sleep.

Once we'd all assembled in front of Kami, Gideon asked, "So whom do you want us to meet?"

Kami smiled, showing off his yellow, dull fangs, almost a disgrace to his Namekan heritage."This little boy is going to be joining our team.His Name is Cris, and he's not from this dimension.He's been here for eight months, but trained under Master Roshi for that time."

Great, another recruit, hopefully he could keep up with us."Come on out Cris."Kami yelled slightly.Out of the darkness of the palace doors came a small figure, dark at first, but as soon as the sun hit him, I got a full look.He hung his head low to start with, so I didn't get a great look at his face.His hair was a bright red, spiked and held in place with hair gel.He looked strong enough, his muscles were well defined and he seemed tall and wide enough.I could sense his ki, fairly weak compared to the rest of us, but for a boy his age, it was amazingly strong really.I saw Kami had already fitted him with weighted clothes and a gi.The orange on it clashed slightly with his hair, but didn't affect his overall feel.

He finally looked up, smiling and I examined his face.My first impression was that it was a face that had experienced things that most kids his age hadn't.We all looked him up and down, as he did the same to us.He carried a small bag of things in his hands in front of him; it made him look sort of like a child off to his first day of school.

Finally after several seconds of examination, Gideon brushed past me and extended a hand towards Cris."Hi, my name's Gideon."Cris detached a small paw from his bag and shook Gideon's huge hand.

"Hi."Was all he said in a tiny voice.I could tell he was intimidated, which didn't fare well for his chances against the Caprians.

Yukia then stepped forward and also shook the boy's hand.One after another, they all introduced themselves, and Cris just took it all in.Finally it was my turn, and Gideon gave me a slight shove forward in my already sore back.I stepped up the steps of the Palace, and stood right in front of Cris.

He looked up to me, and I looked back.After several seconds, I stepped back down and extended my hand in the old earth custom."My name is Karnai."

His reply was different than with all the others, he said, "I know."

Afterwards Kami guided him towards his room, which was coincidently right beside mine.He unpacked his few meagre possessions, and then came outside to the courtyard.Everyone stood there, looking at him.He just walked by us all, out into the courtyard and proceeded to warm up.He started by doing some sit-ups, and after about a hundred, everyone lost interest and went off to do their own thing.Yukia and Kennard went back to The Arena to begin their sparring problem, Nikita went off to meditate in her room, and Phoenix began zanzokening around the courtyard non-stop.Gideon, Arsenia and I went to practice our ki attacks.

We practiced for nearly two hours, the whole time, Cris just worked out.He must've done 10000+ sit-ups, followed by 5000+ squats and push-ups.Afterwards, he seemed slightly winded but that was probably just due to the weighted clothes.Once he was done though, he seemed lost, like a little child who was separated from his parents.

I left Gideon and Arsenia to practice and walked up to Cris."What's wrong?"

He looked at me, and grinned slightly before asking sheepishly"Well, what do I do now?"

I looked at him sideways, trying to see if he was joking or not, I realized he wasn't."Well, you can do whatever you want pretty much."He looked at me wide-eyed, like I'd sworn in front of virgin ears.I returned the stare back at him.He shook his head and murmured something I couldn't quite make out."What?" I asked.

He looked up at me then, and replied in a firm voice "Oh, nothing, never mind."I just nodded, as he went about his own business.I returned to Gideon and Arsenia, who were trying to nail insects, a kilometre away from the edge of the tower with ki blasts.I joined in, it seemed like good target practice.I hit a few, but it was hard, my eyes were much better than my human counterparts so I hit a lot more than they did.

Soon though we'd cleaned out all the insects that happened to roam at that altitude, and we all went on to our own things.I followed Nikita's lead and began meditating in my room.I concentrated on perfecting one of my newest attacks, the Tsuihidan, running the motions through my mind several times, and watching myself perform the attack in my mind.

I spent a good two hours doing this before packing up and going outside again to try and see if I could actually perform the move.Before I got anywhere though, a rather strange site greeted me.Cris was in the courtyard circled by everyone else, and they were all firing ki blasts at the new trainee simultaneously.He was managing to dodge all the attacks, but just barely.

I walked up behind Kennard, who was the closest to me, and asked, "What is this?"

He turned to me, and I was amazed by the fact that there was a huge smile on his face."We're trying to nail the sucker, what does it look like?"Suddenly two ki blasts from Gideon and Nikita collided and there was a deafening (for a Namek) explosion.

"But why?"I wondered aloud as I watched Cris sweat buckets trying to dodge some more blasts.He was doing it smartly though, staying low to the ground most of the time, forcing my partners to skim shots across the floor, as Kami would kill anyone who ruined the courtyard.

"He originally just asked me to shoot some small blasts at him and force him to dodge them, but then Phoenix joined in.Cris didn't seem to mind, so Yukia and Nikita jumped in after that.Soon it became a group event."

Cris was shooting around so fast I was amazed.When he seemed cornered he quickly zanzokened out of the way.I considered joining in, but that just seemed unfair.I was content on watching the display.I have to admit, it was pretty amazing, Cris was obviously winded, but continued to go all out, for fear of getting hit.It took about 5 minutes before someone struck him.

I'm not sure who it was, but the ki blast was yellow, and when it struck Cris it sent him flying over the edge of the courtyard.Everyone was stunned, he'd been doing a great job, and they would've stopped if they thought he was going to get hurt.No one even tried to catch him, as he plummeted towards the ground so far down.I could tell he had almost no energy left after going so hard for so long, so I leaped over the edge too and shot after him, covering myself in ki energy and flying my absolute fastest.

He was falling fast, but I was sure I could catch him before we touched to the ground.I felt everyone leap after Cris and I, but they were way too far behind, it was up to me.I easily caught up to him, and wrapped his limp body in my arms.I changed my direction, flying straight up back towards Sky Palace.As I was flying up, everyone floated in the air just below the palace, waiting for us, they all look really worried, but I knew the kid would pull through.Interestingly enough, Nikita seemed the most worried, either because she was the one who'd hit him… or possibly for some other reason.

In any case, he either needed a senzu bean or a regeneration tank.I slowly floated over to the palace doors, as Kami came out of the darkness from the inside of the palace.He obviously knew something had happened, probably picked up on the worries of everyone.

I gently placed Cris in front of me, his unconscious body felt like a feather, and Kami stepped down the palace steps and kneeled next to Cris, placing his cane beside himself.I walked back, giving Kami his room.

He placed his right hand over Cris' chest and his left over his head.Kami closed his eyes, and suddenly a small yellow aura began almost pouring from Kami's hands.The yellowish ki covered Cris' body, and suddenly all the scrapes, bruises and burns that had formed were wiped away.I stared in disbelief, my mouth hung open, I couldn't believe Kami had the ability to heal like this, he'd never done it in the past.

Cris began to stir, just slightly at first, but eventually his eyes opened, and his arms and legs began moving.Kami moved his hands away, picked up his cane, and then with its aid, stood up and waited for Cris to rise.Sure enough, the red-haired little Z Warrior ascended and turned to Kami.He bowed slightly and then almost whispered "Thank you sir."

Kami just nodded, looked at me, looked at everyone else (who had congregated behind me) and then turned and walked back into the palace.Cris stood there, then proceeded to stretch out some kinks in his back and arms.He then turned to face me and everyone else.He then surprised everyone by jumping over all of us, sailing through the air and landing in the middle of the courtyard.

"Wanna try that again?"He asked.I smiled, I was sure I was gonna like this kid.


	14. Crono's Story (Chapter 13)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 13

Cris

_ _

It was the first birthday I'd ever spent alone.I didn't mind it really, I could live without any presents or material things, but there was one thing I truly missed, and I knew I might never see her again.

True, she had been there for my last birthday, but that seemed like such a long time ago.I really didn't want to take any trips back down the old haunted memory lane, but I did anyways.We'd gone out for supper and then headed back to her house, I remembered.I didn't want to recall any more, but I couldn't help it, I missed her too much, I needed her there, and she couldn't comply.I'd had, well I guess you could call them… plans, for that evening (I'll leave the details to your imagination), but they were cut short when we found her parents home and awake upstairs.Instead we just talked.I loved her voice, the way she rolled her r's and the way her small body could project such an amazing voice.So I didn't mind all that much that we could just talk.

We talked for several hours, well into the night.Her parents eventually went to bed, but I didn't notice, and by the time we were finished talking, we were both tired beyond belief.She began nodding off, so I walked her up to her room and tucked her into her bed.I considered helping her undress, but decided it wouldn't seem right.She rustled around in her bed for a while, but I knew I couldn't stay around all night, so I went back to the hotel room I'd rented.

I couldn't fall to sleep though; her face was already burned into my mind, keeping any hope of restful sleep a distant wish.I worked out for three hours, but instead of tiring me out, it invigorated me.I decided to run, rushing to the out-skirts of the city and then running around its circumference.By the time I was finished, it was near noon.I went back to the hotel and took a shower, changed and then headed back to her house.When I arrived, I didn't want to talk to her parents, so I went over to her window and jumped up to the sill, then lifted the frame easily and stepped in, closing it behind me afterwards.

She was still sound asleep, her body twisted at an irregular position, her face pressed down against the pillow, but her torso facing upwards, while her legs were off to the side.I just shrugged, went to her closet and pulled out a chair.I dragged across her carpet, settled the chair at the foot of her bed and plopped myself down.

I heard her parents pacing around downstairs and outside her room.I just sat patiently (even tried meditating) waiting for her to awake.Soon she began moving around, rolling onto her back, her slim body perfectly aligned.I could feel her breathing becoming less and less constant, and I knew she was waking up.Suddenly though she surprised me by saying "Hi."

I barely managed to stammer out a "H…hi."In reply.I saw her chest rise slowly and then fall, before she sat up and stared at me.I was more than content to stare right back at her, gazing into her eyes, and for the first time in a long while, I was truly at peace.She smiled at me and I smiled back weakly, but the whole time I couldn't think of anything other than how beautiful she was.

Finally her mom of all people broke the silence yelling from the main floor "Honey, are you awake?"

We both jumped slightly as Seana turned to the door and yelled back "Uh, yeah mom."

Her mom shouted back "Ok, come down soon, breakfast is ready."

We both turned our attention back to each other, before I nodded and she nodded back.I got up from my seat, grabbed the chair and pulled it back to its place in the closet.As soon as I turned around I was greeted with a long and deep kiss.I wasn't really ready for it, so I didn't kiss back, but I did manage to wrap my arms around her waist as she did the same to my neck.

She finally pulled back, and then she bent her neck and rested her head against mine.I whispered into her ear something meant only for her ears.She just closed her eyes and squeezed my neck slightly, as I pulled her even closer.We hung in each others arms for a few seconds before she said "I better get downstairs before my mom comes up here."

She brought her head back, but before she could leave, I kissed her again, and this time we both expected it.Once we were done, she slipped out of my grasp and went to her dresser, brushing her hair.I walked over to the window and slid it open.She didn't turn to me but asked in a patronizing voice "Did you come in here?"

I didn't know what to say, so I answered like a small child caught eating the cookies before supper "Yeah."I hung my head.

She smiled, and just nodded towards me.I slipped out the window onto the sill and pushed the window back down before I dropped down to the ground and walked off towards my hotel room.

That was a year ago, and I'd changed so much since then, but one thing hadn't changed, my love for Seana.I'd had trouble putting my finger on the feeling, but eventually it hit me, the night I decided I needed to settle my dispute with Triono, and I saw Seana for the last time.

I fell back into my bed, in my room, on Sky Tower.It'd only been two weeks training up there, where the air was so thin you had to be in amazing shape just to walk around, much less exercise all out the way we did.Kami's weighted clothes helped a lot too; the extra weight on the wrists, and especially the feet made it a lot harder to do anything, therefore increasing the gain.

I was nowhere near anyone else though, and I had a feeling I wouldn't be for a while.I'd been working my butt off, but so was everyone else, and they were all really powerful.I'd taken a scouter from Master Roshi and used it one time when everyone was listening to Kami.Gideon was the most powerful human, near 22,000, and Karnai was at 28,000.I knew mine was at most about 1,700 and the closest to me was Nikita, at 8,000, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

Phoenix (who I'd clocked at 10,000 only) had taken me under his wing, and often we would spend hours in The Arena, sparring the afternoon away.He was not ruthless like Triono had been, he taught me where my mistakes were and helped me fix them.Whenever I couldn't keep up with him, he would slow down to my level, often going at only a quarter of his full speed to allow me to attack him.Karnai had also apprenticed me, often teaching me moves that he himself had only begun to master.

Still I couldn't help but think about Seana.No matter how hard I worked, her face flashed across my eyes throughout the day, and there was no way I could be with her.I groaned in rage in the darkness of my room.I was supposed to be meditating, but it was my birthday, and I allotted myself a few minutes of rest.I tried to purge the thought of her from my mind, but that was impossible, she was in too deep.

I grew angry, at myself, at her, at Kami, at Krillin, at Triono, at the whole freakin universe.I always learnt though that it was better to vent your anger then just talk about it, so I got up, headed out into the sunlight of the afternoon, and went to find Phoenix.


	15. Crono's Story (Chapter 14)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 14

Kennard

_ _

We faced off in the dim light of The Arena, neither of us willing to make the first move.I knew Arsenia far too well though, my patience far exceeded his own; with little doubt he would be the aggressor.

That was more than fine with me, I knew every move he possessed, nothing he could do would surprise me.Sure enough, about a minute later, he zanzokened out of view.

I easily tracked his ki, off to my right.I swivelled to face him, and was greeted by the sight of his fist closing in on my head.I fell back, allowing his reckless blow to sail over my head and torso.My feet were now directly under his body, so I swung them up towards his body in unison.

He zanzokened away again, so I was forced to catch myself in mid-air and again seek out his ki.I picked him up to my left this time.I planted my feet into the dirt of The Arena, facing Arsenia and waiting for his attack.For several seconds, nothing, then a strange sensation came over me.Suddenly I felt three Arsenia's directly in front of me.

Damn it, I hated his tri-form attack, and I still hadn't mastered the technique myself, so I knew I'd be forced to knock his three bodies back together, like I did when I beat him at the Tenkaichi Budoukai.Just as the thought popped in my head, two of Arsenia's forms flew at me from the right and left.I could barely see them in the bad light, but I did see that one of them was aimed at my head, and the other at my knees.

Since they came from both directions, my left and right flanks were cut off, so I was forced to float horizontally (like I was lying on an invisible bed) in an attempt to make them miss.

It didn't work.The high one struck me in the jaw with an elbow and flung me full force against the far wall.I crashed hard, breaking some of the brickwork, and then I fell to the ground with my back to the wall.I was dazed by the collision, and was barely able to dodge the knee sent by one of the bodies.His appendage struck straight through the wall, sending shrapnel flying all over.It also left his body parallel to my shoulders.I brought my arms up, wrapped them around his waist and flung him full force to the ground.

A cloud of smoke rose up, and just as quickly, another Arsenia appeared from out of the darkness with a dynamite kick.I managed to zanzoken out of the way, even in my awkward position.I disappeared and reappeared to the right of my previous position, a few metres away from my attacker.Rather than let him get a bead on me, I zanzokened again, this time to right behind him.He felt my ki, and swung a wild elbow at me, I easily blocked it and proceeded to kick him in the spine, sending him into a pile beside his other body.

A warning light went off in my mind, but too late. Suddenly a fist appeared out of nowhere and connected with my already sore jaw.Arsenia's third body sent me flying a small distance, where I ended up landing in the dirt.I shot up to my feet, and saw all three forms orienting themselves.

I decided to try and blow them apart, I knew they were less coordinated the farther apart they were from each other.I concentrated my ki into my hands and right as they were preparing to attack, I fired two ki beams at their feet.The ground below them exploded, sending each body flying in a different direction.I was about to rush after the one that had gone to my left when it happened.

Now usually on Earth there are 9 powers that you are always aware of, Cris, Karnai, Gideon, Yukia, Arsenia, Phoenix, Nikita, Krillin and myself.You don't even have to seek them out, they're just always there, sometimes growing, but never really falling.So when one of the powers began fading, fast, I halted in my tracks.

For quite a while, I didn't even breath, I didn't even see Arsenia reform into one body, I was concentrating on finding out which power was fading at the time.I couldn't figure it out so instead I narrowed it down by figuring out who it wasn't.

Well it wasn't Arsenia, or I, I sensed Cris and Phoenix sparring down near the base of Karin tower, Gideon was in his room, and Karnai was in the courtyard, as was Nikita and Yukia.That left one person."Oh god."I whispered through clenched teeth as I realized who it was.

Arsenia and I rushed towards the door of The Arena at the same time, we slammed open the door and sprinted into the courtyard.Everyone except Phoenix and Cris was also standing confused in the courtyard.Gideon yelled out "Ok everyone, let's go to the palace and see what Kami has to say."

We all nodded and quickly flew over to the palace entrance.As we waited there some of us whispered amongst ourselves about what could have happened.Cris and Phoenix flew up from one of the sides, looking rugged and beaten (more Cris than Phoenix) soon after.As soon as they joined us, the elaborate golden plated doors of the palace opened and two figures, one short and the other shorter, stepped out of the darkness.

Kami and Mr. Popo came out and everyone fell silent and turned their heads to the Namek and his assistant.Gideon spoke first, asking in an almost frightened voice "What's wrong with Krillin?"

Kami looked at Gideon, then stared each of us in the eye one at a time.When he came to me, I thought I might've seen a tear falling down his cheek, and that's when I knew it was over, Krillin was gone.Finally after a while he responded."Krillin… is dying."

We all knew that, but none of us were willing to admit it until we heard it out of Kami's mouth.I hung my head, and tried to imagine what would've happened if Krillin hadn't been here.He was the one who saw me in the Tenkaichi Budoukai and took me to train with Kami.That was three years ago, and I owed Krillin everything.I pictured him; he seemed completely fine when I last saw him, which made me wonder what could possibly be wrong with him.I was about to ask what it was, but Cris beat me to it."What's wrong with him?"He asked, hesitatingly.

Kami stared at the red-haired fighter and replied "It was just his time, Krillin was very old."

A very strange look popped up on Cris' face, like he didn't understand that Krillin was over 70 years old.Cris piped up again "But how could that be? He was so strong, there's no way he could be old enough to die."

Kami smiled slightly, and Yukia chuckled slightly before Gideon offered an explanation."Krillin is no where near his peak, when he was wished back with the dragon balls ten years ago, he was 64, he hasn't trained much for almost 50 years, counting his time in the other dimension."

Cris went wide-eyed and didn't really understand what it meant.I don't think he realized yet how powerful some of our opponents would be.Ah, to be as ignorant as Cris was must've been nice.I worried about what we'd face every single day, every time I woke up I realized we'd be facing inconceivable odds in just over two years.I didn't know if I would be strong enough, and I truly feared for my life.

Kami snapped my thoughts on my own mortality when he spoke again "He's requested that everyone go and see him, he's over at Master Roshi's house.He chose to part there instead of in a hospital because he says his greatest memories are of that house."

Everyone nodded slightly and then floated up above the palace.Gideon covered Kami in his ki and Karnai took Mr. Popo in his, and soon everyone was off.We headed southeast, towards the Kame-house, after a few seconds, Cris called for Nimbus to take him the rest of the way.We went solemnly, none of us talking at all, a type of tension that can only be created through death hung in the air.

We reached Master Roshi's house in about five minutes, settling down in front of the door to the old wooden shack.Kami brushed past each of us and stepped up the stairs, then tapped on the wooden door with his cane.I heard the scurrying of foot steps inside for a few seconds before the door opened.

Master Roshi stood in the doorframe, a solemn look on his face, as no one spoke a word.Cris broke the silence, greeting his former teacher."Hi Master Roshi."

The old man's face brightened only a little at the sight of his student.He didn't reply, instead addressing everyone."Come on in, he's upstairs in his old room."We filed into the house one at a time, I came up last, just behind Kami and the waddling Mr. Popo.

Once we'd all got inside, I closed the door and we headed up the small staircase to our left.Within a few seconds we were at the doorway to Krillin's room.I'm sure everyone felt his ki within the room, I know I did; and it was weak, weaker than I'd ever felt from him before.A pang of sorrow hit me, I didn't know if I could see my teacher, my idol, hell, my recruiter dying in front of my eyes.

I swallowed deeply; I wouldn't let the tears that were forming at the corners of my eyes drip down, not in front of everyone.

Master Roshi stepped his way in front of everyone and faced the door.I watched his hand, as it slowly moved towards the doorknob, and I realized it was shaking.I realized no one would be able to take this easily.Krillin had found the talent, the fighting spirit in all of us, and we all knew how important he was in the history of the planet.

Slowly, the door opened, creaking the whole time.The room was dark, and smelled of sweat and another aroma that I'd only smelt one other place.

A memory flashed across my face, a painful one.I recalled everything, the fire, the screams, the vision of my brother burning in front of my eyes, and the smell.That's what the stench in Krillin's room was, it was the smell of death, something no one who has experienced it can forget.

I halted in my tracks as everyone else drudged into the room.I couldn't go in, going in would mean seeing my brother again.I couldn't do it, I had to get away from that place, away from the vision.I took a step back, and shook my head vigorously to get the memory out.

Kami must've sensed my wariness, as he asked "Kennard, what's wrong?"

I looked at him, but all I could see was my brother.I tried convincing myself that it was all in the past, but it wasn't, it was happening again, someone I cared for was dying, and I couldn't do anything to stop it.I fell to one knee, and now Nikita, Kami and Karnai were at my side, wondering what was wrong.

I didn't know how to explain it to them, so I didn't even try.Krillin was the only one who could possibly understand, he'd performed a mind transfer on me after I won the Tenkaichi Budoukai, but now he was gone, and I had no one who knew what I'd been through.

I took a few deep breaths, shut my eyes, and tried to clear my mind.After a while I managed to calm myself completely.I stood up, looked at those around me and nodded towards Krillin's yawning door.

The room was lit only by a small candle on a stand across from the bed Krillin lay on.He was out of hi orange gi and clothed in only his underwear.His bed was wet with perspiration and water he'd dumped on his face.

He didn't seem to notice us for a long time, in fact he was almost asleep, but Master Roshi gently nudged him back to consciousness.He turned to face us, and a weak smile spread across his pale face.His ki was so weak, like a baby, and I knew his body was ready to burn out.

"Hi."He said in a voice so faint and small I could barely hear him.

"Hi."Everyone replied in unison.A few of us, including myself, choked the word out.I was near the back, with Nikita at my side and Cris directly in front of me.I was barely able to see over his shoulder, but I didn't mind, the less I saw the better.

"So…" he began, but was cut off when he was forced to cough a few times.The hacking sound rang through my ears, and I had to blink away some more tears that were forming.Arsenia knelt next to the bed and Krillin stuck out his hand as he cleared his throat.Arsenia clamped onto the frail hand with both paws, and bowed his head to Krillin.

I felt Nikita shaking to my left, and I turned to face her.Her eyes were red, her cheeks covered in tears, her body heaving heavily.I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and pulled her against me.She leaned her head on my shoulder and then I rested my head on hers.We watched as Krillin bent over to Arsenia's ear and whispered something into it, causing the black haired young man to convulse violently, sobbing the entire time.Krillin had been the one to save Arsenia from his life of poverty and hate, and Arsenia would never forget him for it.

Once he was finished, Arsenia turned, his entire face red and his shoulders bobbing violently.I just clutched Nikita even harder, and concentrating on blocking out my memories.Krillin then spoke to the entire group."I want you all to know one thing.I love you all.I can't imagine these past ten years without you, you made the time worth living.I've seen you all grow up so much, and there's no way you can ever take my memories of you away from me."Just the word, memories, was enough to bring back the sound; the cracking of the fire, the falling of the house, and the screams of Jacas.Krillin was soon talking again though, so I didn't have to listen for very long."I ask only one thing of you all.I h—" he began, but was cut off by more coughing.Cris shook his head in front of me."I hope you all have lives as great as mine was."He was talking like it was already over, and it was."If you guys become half as good of friends as I had when I was a Z Warrior, you'll be friends for life."

There was a group nod, and everyone looked at Krillin, urging him to continue.He complied, speaking once more."I know you guys will beat those Caprian bastards coming here.I have confidence in each and every one of you to save the universe, you're the only ones who can.If there was one reason I'd like to stay, it would be to see the look on General Yoorabit's face when you beat him."There was a long pause before he finished."Goodbye everyone."

Nikita sobbed loudly in my arms, Yukia fell to the ground, and Gideon, rarely a man to show emotions, swallowed to hold back a sob, while a few tears rolled out of his eyes.Karnai and Cris showed the least emotion, probably because they'd known him the shortest.

Master Roshi stepped in between Krillin and us."Let's go now, leave him be."We picked ourselves up, each one of us taking a final glance at our bald forefather.I left near the end, but I didn't look back, for fear it would provoke old, haunting memories.It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life; I regretted it for as long as I lived.

We plopped ourselves down in the chairs and couches of Master Roshi's house, some of us choosing to seat on the floor.We sat there for maybe ten minutes in complete silence, before Arsenia of all people broke the quiet."I remember," he began, as everyone turned to him and was amazed when he chuckled slightly."I remember when I tried to beat him up when he saw me in the street of the eastern capitol."He laughed again, and a large smile spread across his tear-stained face."Man, did he open up on me.I was in a regeneration chamber for six days cuz of him."

Gideon and Yukia nodded knowingly, I hadn't been around then, but I had a feeling where he was going with this."Yeah."Yukia agreed, before continuing the conversation."I remember when he told me about the fight against Cell, which he lost."I nodded myself, I'd heard that story, Krillin had been so proud of it."He got beat up so bad," Yukia said in a steadily increasing voice "but he was so damned proud of the fact he lasted as long as he did."

I smiled slightly; I'd always remember the look on his face when he told that story, smug and proud.I chipped in "Sometimes he'd leave out parts about how Cell hit him.I always had to remind him and he'd always look pissed when I did."

Everyone smiled, and Arsenia even laughed a little.Gideon said something next, followed by Cris, and for almost two hours, we just talked about Krillin.We talked about his bad jokes, his height, his friends, everything.Every minute I felt his ki getting weaker and weaker, and I'm sure everyone else felt it too, but none of us said anything, we chose instead to think of the positive.

Cris was talking about how Krillin beat up his friend Triono in their dimension when it happened.Krillin's ki disappeared; he had died and was gone for good.

Everyone fell silent, and hung their heads to cry silently.Master Roshi sat up from his chair, walked across the room and up the stairs to Krillin's grave of a room.

All my memories of my time with Krillin flashed before my eyes, but soon the images were replaced with tears.I tried hard to keep from remembering Jacas screams, but they pounded their way into my head.And soon the smell of Krillin's, of my brothers death poured into my nostrils and over-rode all thought.

I lied on the ground and cried my eyes out, there was nothing more to do, nothing I could do.Soon everyone was crying, not a single soul would be spared that day.


	16. Crono's Story (Chapter 15)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 15

Triono

_ _

After two months of training with King Kai, he and I had reached a sort of unspoken agreement.As long as I did whatever he wanted, no matter how stupid it sounded, he would cook me large meals and allow me time to meditate.This worked for both of us, as long as I didn't argue with him, I didn't have to put up with his super corny jokes, and he didn't have to put up with my "surly attitude".

I'd managed to catch bubbles after about three weeks, and after that I was forced to hit a small cricket called Gregory.That took about a week and a half, I found the large green insect was far too cocky, and I easily managed to nail him with the hammer King Kai gave me.

After that, King Kai pretty much let me do whatever I wanted.Of course he made me practice a bunch of new attacks, like the Triple Strike, the Nirvana Attack, and the Manaba (sort of like the Tasaranko), but he never made me do any serious hard exercise, instead opting to leave me under the shade of the tree and allow me to meditate.

I spent several hours a day under that tree, sometimes visualizing my attacks, but most of the time spent there was used to reflect.I reflected on everything, my life, Cris, Krillin, anything that had an impact or influenced me.When I was dying on the ground there nine months ago, only one thought flickered through my mind, the hope that I would maybe see my mom after I died.

Unfortunately people who died in my home dimension didn't come to this one after they died, so I tried to forget about her.Instead I threw myself into my training, for the first time in my life, I knew I was getting stronger, I was much stronger now than I was before I got to King Kai's planet, and still under the ten times Earth normal gravity.

I didn't mind life on the small green planet, there was no one to talk to really, but that didn't bother me, I never talked very much anyway.The only problem with the lack of wildlife was I had no one to fight.I sensed King Kai was an amazingly powerful man, despite his appearance, and to fight him would be foolhardy.So I was forced to work my ass off, mastering techniques that were based upon attacks I hadn't even heard of.

One day after my first two months I walked up to my master an asked him how many moves he could possibly teach.

"Well," he began, slumping his head in concentration "there's the Triple Strike, Nirvana Attack, Manaba, Tsuihidan, Kaioken, Spirit Bomb, Yakaran, and the Ioni Cannon."

That was an impressive list, but I had to ask "Are you going to teach me all those moves?"

He chuckled, and I was worried he was going to go into another laughing fit, but he cut himself short, answering "Oh heavens no.Half of those moves I can't even perform myself.Although I did master the Kaioken a few years ago."

I was slightly shocked, King Kai was supposed to be the best Martial Arts master in the universe, how could he be so good if he couldn't even perform half his own attacks?I stood there mind-boggled, as he continued on "There's just one man who mastered all my attacks."He said with a sigh, and shook his head.

I knew it was Goku, I'd picked up that much from Krillin back on the ship, but what I didn't know was why Goku was the only one he ever tried to teach the Spirit Bomb and Kaioken too.I decided to find out."King Kai, why don't you teach all your students the Kaioken attack, and the Spirit Bomb?"

He looked at me quizzically, almost like he thought I was joking.He smirked slightly before answering, "To learn the Spirit Bomb, one must have a heart so pure, that no evil has touched it.Goku, and possibly his son Gohan were the only two beings like that.As for Kaioken, it allows a person to multiply their power, which in the wrong hands could cause someone to un-knowingly commit suicide.That's why I'm not teaching it to you, and I may never teach it again."

I nodded, but I wasn't sure if my master was fully aware of the situation.The Caprians coming towards Earth could destroy the universe, if he could do anything to help us out, he damn well should!I dropped the subject though, not wanting to start an argument or anything.I turned to the "south" (away from the house) and decided to try and perfect my zanzoken technique.

The zanzoken technique required everything; a strong body, a calm mind and complete ki control.Under the heavy gravity of King Kai's planet, it was near impossible to perform.I'd had to use it to hit Gregory with the hammer, but other than that, I hadn't spent much time on it.

So after conversing with King Kai about his attacks, I walked over to the side of the stone road and began to practice.I cleared my mind, bent my legs, and immersed myself in my ki.I aimed myself towards the tree, I pushed with everything I had, and I instantly knew I correctly zanzokened. I lost all my senses, but regained them within a split second.I was now about ten feet away from the tree, so I ran back to the side of the road and tried it again.

Each time I performed the move I got closer and closer to the tree, sometimes changing my stance, the angle of my body, or some other little nuance.After about thirty minutes I reached the tree from the side of the road, and was instantly proud of my small accomplishment.

Since I was already at the tree, I sat down under it, crossed my legs and arms, closed my eyes and began to meditate.I tried to find even more ways to perfect the zanzoken technique, but came up empty.So instead I tried to visualize the Triple Strike, the one move I hadn't been able to master that King Kai had taught me.I knew you had to use your ki to fool your enemy into thinking you were behind them, and then attack, but I had no clue how to create the false ki signature necessary.So instead of actually trying to understand the attack, I concentrated on the fake ki presence.

I meditated for about two hours on the subject, coming up with the start of an idea, when suddenly I felt a huge, and I mean HUGE, ki signature heading towards me.

I opened my eyes, shot up from the ground, and turned towards the source.The ki signature felt familiar, but I couldn't tell who it was, definitely not Cris.It was coming from Snake Way, but was heading at speeds far beyond anything I could reach.I ran towards the tail of Snake Way, hoping to see what was coming.King Kai walked calmly up behind me, Bubbles in tow, while Gregory was nowhere to be found.

I turned to King Kai and asked in a tense voice, "Who is that coming here?"

The blue skinned teacher just smiled and replied, "You'll see."

I figured it was no one bad, so I calmed slightly, but I was still somewhat nervous, although I didn't know why.We waited, but not for long; soon enough a small dot appeared in the orange skies horizon.I squinted, but couldn't make out whom it was.The figure was flying along the path at amazing speeds, his ki left a large trail of white energy behind him.Unless one of my future teammates had died, I was pretty sure I knew who it was.

My thought was confirmed, a bald head and an orange gi came clearly into view, and I realised it was Krillin.A thought came soon after; if Krillin was here, that meant he couldn't be in his dimension.That meant he'd died, but as strong as he was, I wondered how he could've died.A hideous thought popped in my mind, and I pictured another Nacran killing Krillin and going on to destroy the Earth.

But I looked to King Kai, he was still smiling, and he hadn't said anything, so I figured the Earth was fine, at least for now.I turned back to Snake Way, and Krillin was almost right in front of me, in fact he was less than two metres away from me, standing comfortably with a huge smile on his face.

I grinned and walked alongside King Kai towards the short fighter."Hi King Kai," Krillin exclaimed in his high pitched voice "Hi Triono."He finished as he turned to me.

I opened my mouth to welcome him, but King Kai cut me off "Hi there." He almost shouted back.

I gave my master a side-ways glance before stepping in front of Krillin and asking, "What are you doing here?"

He looked into my eyes, took a deep breath and then shut his eyelids.When he opened them again, he replied "I came here to see how you were doing."That wasn't what I meant, and he knew it, but King Kai cut me off again.

"So how are you doing?"He asked, his fishy voice reaching its maximum annoyingness.

"I'm ok, but I'm kind of worried about, them, back on earth."

King Kai nodded, his smile fading slightly.He answered back "Well, we just gotta hope they work hard enough to be prepared."Krillin nodded slightly, but still seemed doubtful.I inferred that the training back on earth wasn't going so well.

"Speaking of which," Krillin said in a loud voice, cutting off my train of thought "how is your newest trainee doing?"

King Kai and Krillin both turned to me, a smile on both their faces.I don't know why, but I blushed slightly and dropped my head.Maybe I didn't like the idea of being a "trainee".King Kai shrugged and said "Pretty good, I guess.He's learnt some difficult manuevers in his time here."

"Yeah, he didn't even know how to fly when I first caught him."

King Kai giggled slightly, so I gave him the dirtiest look I could manage.He just giggled even more, so I turned to Krillin and asked, "How's Cris doing?"

"He's alright, but he was still way behind everyone else when I left him."I was kind of sad, I was getting really strong here, and Cris was still slaving away but barely getting stronger."In three months though, he's going to start gravity training, along with everyone else."This didn't hit me as a shock, I'd already taken the information from Krillin's mind a while ago, but I had a jump start on everyone else, I'd already started my gravity training, and trained under the greatest master in the universe.

I smiled at the thought, for the first time in my life, I was getting the advantage.Krillin studied me for a few seconds, then continued "Just wondering, but how do you think your doing?"I didn't know if he meant training wise, or on the inside.He cleared it up quickly."Are you listening to King Kai and doing everything your told?"I nodded, and so did he."Good.He may not seem like it," he pointed towards the now hysterically laughing King Kai."but he's a really good master.If it weren't for him, I don't know where any of us would've been against a lot of our enemy's."

King Kai's laughing slowed to a chuckle, and eventually stopped.Once he had control of himself again, he asked Krillin "Did you bring the stuff?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot."Krillin replied in an exasperated voice, as he un-slung a small duffel bag that had been hanging over his shoulder.I don't know how I didn't notice it before, but it blended right in with his orange gi.He dropped the bag on the ground, dropped down to his knees, and opened it.I couldn't see what was inside, his torso blocked my vision, but I heard the sound of metal on metal somewhere within the bag.After a few seconds Krillin closed the bag again and told King Kai "Yup, it's all in here, everything you asked for."

He handed the bag to King Kai, who in turn crouched next to Bubbles and whispered something in the monkeys' ear.The ape grabbed the bag and trotted off towards the house.I turned to follow, in a hope to see what was in the bag, but Krillin spoke to me once again."So Triono, do you think you'll be ready in two years and three months for the Caprians?"

I turned back to face him and answered directly "Yes."

King Kai smiled and almost whispered "Confidence, I like that."

Krillin nodded, and then added "Well you better be, we're going to need another Super Saiya-jin for the upcoming fight."

I'd heard King Kai use that term before, but I didn't know what it meant, so I asked."What's a Super Saiya-jin anyways?"

Krillin and King Kai both turned to face me again, and I felt like a little kid asking his parents about sex.Krillin replied with a query of his own."How old are you now?"

"14."

"You're 14 and you don't know about Super Saiya-jin's?" He didn't even give me a chance to say no."Well, a long time ago it was just a legend, but then Goku made it a reality, in his fight against Freeza.You see when a Saiyan warrior, like yourself, reaches a certain level of power, they have a pure heart, and they experience an extreme amount of rage, they can transform into Super Saiya-jin's.When they do their power is magnified immensely, their hair turns golden yellow and their eyes turn green."

I tried to see if Krillin was guessing, but I figured he wasn't.I thought it was more funny than anything, I mean golden hair, green eyes, it sounded like a bad Halloween costume.In any case, I figured you needed to be way stronger than I was right then, so I didn't really put any thought into it.

I shrugged and said "Sounds cool, can't wait till I become one."Krillin must've picked up the slight sarcasm in my voice and gave me a strange look.I shrugged it off, and turned to walk back to King Kai.Krillin followed me and we caught up to the antenna-laden man in a few seconds.

"So, you wanna stay for supper Krillin?"King Kai asked.

Krillin scratched the back of his neck and answered tentatively "Well, thanks for the offer, but I'm kinda going to see Yamcha, Tien and Chao-zu."I had a vague recollection of who they were, but it didn't really seem all that important.I was glad Krillin stopped by, but it didn't matter to me how long he stayed.

"That's ok, but make sure you stop by again sometime, it gets kinda lonely out here sometimes."King Kai said in a sympathetic voice.I realized it'd been a while since he cracked a joke, in fact almost an eternity for him.Right after I realised it though, he popped a really bad one liner."It looks like I'm going to have to make some… long distance phone calls."He started giggling, clamping his hands over his mouth.Krillin and I stared blankly at him, neither of us got it until he explained it."Get it, he's gonna be far away, and I'm gonna have to call him, long distance.Plus, I don't even have a phone."I thought it was an all time low, even for him, but King Kai just kept giggling, until finally he broke into laughter, rolling over in the grass, struggling for air.

"Yeah."Was all I said.Krillin and I turned to each other and I asked."So when you coming back?"

"I don't know, but it'll probably be before you leave, don't worry.Oh yeah, Kami told me they had all seven dragon balls ready, and whenever you think your done training under King Kai, just let him know, and they'll wish you back."

A question popped into my mind."Why don't they wish you back first?"

"I died of natural causes, the Eternal Dragon can't bring someone back who died like that."

"Natural causes?How could you die of natural causes?"

Krillin smirked and replied "Cris didn't get it either, but I'm over 70 years old Triono, my body just couldn't take all the years of training I put on it."

I couldn't believe that Krillin was really that old.I had a harder time believing that an old timer beat me up while I was transformed.In any case, Krillin turned, looked towards snake way and said "Well, I'll talk to you later, make sure you train real hard for the fight."With that he shot off into the sky, his ki producing a brilliant light.I watched him sail off into the distance until I could no longer see him.

I turned to King Kai, who was still laughing his ass off, and then I went to go practice my zanzoken a bit more.


	17. Crono's Story (Chapter 16)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 16

Phoenix

_ _

I don't know why Cris and I chose to go sparring that night, it was a foolish choice, to say the least.I guess we were just both worried.

We both knew we'd be starting our gravity training in under a week, and we both wanted to be strong enough to withstand the high gravity we'd be putting our bodies under.So when Cris barged in on me sleeping in my room, shoved me awake and asked me if I wanted to spar, I agreed in a few seconds.

After I changed, we left the room and floated down to earth, before proceeding to fly off to a small island off in the north west corner of the planet.Neither of us spoke much on the journey there, we were both tired, so you think I might've noticed the extra light that night, but my senses eluded me at the time, so we continued on.

When we reached the island, we plopped down in an open clearing, with very little vegetation around.There were mountains off to the west, but other than that, there was nothing separating us from the mountains.Cris and I both took in some fresh night air, stretched out a bit, and then faced off.

We stood nearly two hundred yards apart, staring straight into each others eyes.I remember seeing an extra ordinary amount of reflected light in his eyes, but I still didn't hook on, I was really tired.Cris' power level had tripled in the four months he'd been training under Kami, it was almost at 3000 now, and with the gravity training to begin in just a little while, he'd be even stronger very soon.

As for me, I was beginning to think something was wrong with me.I'd been stuck at a 12,000 power level for almost two months, and no matter how hard I trained I couldn't get past the hump.Gideon had noticed it and tried to help, but whenever he and I sparred, he just opened up on me, and I wasn't ready for that.

I'd begun to think that maybe all saiyans max out at some point, until they go under an immense amount of training, or get beat up really bad and are healed back to health.So I'd been waiting patiently for the start of the training, and usually wasting my hours away sparring with Cris.

The small kid surprised me more often than not.He had some amazing moves, some of which I had trouble dodging or countering.Often though I'd just block whatever attacks he sprung at me, I was still way more powerful than him.

After a few seconds of waiting, he nodded.He and I had devised a sort of system with which to alert the other of what they wanted to do without words.A nod meant we would rush each other and just duke it out, not the best of strategies, but I knew meetings like that increased Cris' speed dramatically.

We both sprinted forward, I covered the ground much more quickly than he of course, so we ended up meeting at more the two thirds mark.We collided with a humungous "Bang!" sound that shook the ground beneath us.We hurled punches, kicks and small ki blasts at each other, at such a rapid pace no one except the Z Warriors and Kami would be able to see us.My fists often collided with Cris, usually just with his forearm, or his leg or even his own clenched fist.For several seconds we darted across the length of the island, each of us exchanging blows, but rarely striking the other.

After a while, I zanzokened away from him, perching myself on a small rock off to Cris' right.He turned to me soon after and fired a small ki blast straight at me.I thought nothing of it, and was about to swat it away, when suddenly the blast swerved sharply in mid-air and blew open the rock I was standing on.The explosion threw me up horizontally, while I tried to control myself in the air.Cris tried to capitalize on my awkward position, rocketing towards me with a dynamite kick, but I knew he'd try such a thing.

I immersed myself in my ki and shot off away from the rapidly advancing Cris.He was un-able to keep pace with me of course, and I was soon a safe distance away.He and I faced off again, this time he was crouched in his fighting stance (the one Master Roshi taught him) while I hung my arms lazily off to the side.Suddenly he blurred out of view, and I lost track of him.Of course the natural place he'd zanzoken would be right behind me, so I swung a wild backhanded fist behind me, even though I never felt him there.

Once I realized I'd struck only air, I tried desperately to find him.In the few panicky seconds it took me to locate him, he'd already sprung.He'd been off to my right, but was now right behind me, so I'd practically given him position.Being the good little boy he was, he proceeded to kick me in the spine, roundhouse me in the neck and nail me with a hook to the temple.

It hurt, but it wasn't paralysing pain or anything, so I merely jumped forward, away from him, and then shot off into the air.I felt him flying behind me, so once I'd cleared my head of the pain, I looked behind me.He was there all right, struggling to keep up with my leisurely pace.I pushed all my power into my bukujutsu technique, speeding away from my opponent.

Once I felt he couldn't keep up with me, I abruptly changed directions, zanzokening right below Cris.He was shocked, if not stunned, and completely unprepared.I thrust my leg out, striking him hard in the abdomen.I heard the air rush from his lungs, and after a second or two I followed up the attack, flying above him and axe-handling him down towards the ground.

He managed to regain control of his body, and halt his swift descent.He landed calmly, stared up at me high above him, and then performed a manuever I'd never seen before.

He opened his mouth, as wide as humanly possible, condensed his ki into his chest, and then proceeded to fire it from his gaping jaw.The greenish beam caught me by surprise, and almost struck me.In fact if it weren't for my saiyan reflexes, I probably wouldn't have avoided the attack.It singed my body, but completely tore through my shirt and weighted clothing underneath.Only a tattered half of the shirt and clothes remained, so I ripped them off, and dropped them to the ground far beneath me.

While I was doing this though, Cris was wasting no time, zanzokening first off to my left, and then closer to my right, before finally appearing behind me.I admit, I didn't think he'd recover from my previous attack as fast as he did, so when he blew me away with two small ki blasts, zanzokened in front of me again, and drop kicked me into the air again, I wasn't really expecting it.

While I was gallantly soaring through the air, I felt him powering up two more ki blasts.As he was doing so though, I easily re-oriented myself, and was ready when he fired off a pair of blue ki beams in my direction.

I used the near blinding light produced by the beams to my advantage, making sure that I was out of view when I zanzokened away from the two beams.I appeared about ten feet above Cris, and before he knew it, I'd flown down to him, and kicked him savagely in the back.He was sent forward, but not too far, because I quickly zanzokened in front of him and crescent kicked him in the shoulder, plummeting him towards the earth and ungodly speeds.

Once he'd crashed into the ground with a nice little cracking sound, I slowly floated down to him.As I was doing so, he shakily stood up, and looked straight up towards me.I thought he would try to nail me with some sort of attack, but instead he just hopped back a few metres and allowed me room to land.

I dropped to the ground, crossed my arms and faced him.His face was bruised and his forearms were covered in welts, but he didn't seem to notice, he just stared at me, a sullen look on his face, and waited.

We stood there for several seconds, and I was beginning to think he forgot whom he was dealing with.I'd never been the first to break a stare-down, and as much as I respected Cris' mental discipline, I doubted he'd last as long as I did.I stood there patiently for a few minutes, as we stared into each other's eyes, when I noticed it.It was sort of like a throbbing that started in my back, slowly moving it's way downwards, lower and lower till it reached my tail-bone.I didn't flinch, for fear Cris might spring, but I wondered what was happening, the pain was getting worse.

Cris must've picked up on it, because he asked me "What's wrong Phoenix?"

I shook my head and replied "I don't know, feels like something's going to pop out of me."As soon as I said those words I knew what it was.I looked up into the sky and saw it.The moon.It was out, in full force, and shining it's brilliant, dull white glow over everything.

Something came over me, a blood lust, a fear, a hatred for all things living.I turned back down to Cris, and in a hoarse voice whispered out, "Run.Get away from here, NOW!"He looked at me oddly, but then a look of immense fear spread across his face.I knew all about Triono and how he'd nearly killed Cris when he went into Oozaru mode, it was something Cris would never forget.

Instead of running though, he flew over to me, placed a hand on my shoulder and said something, but I couldn't hear it."Go away!!!"I screamed, but Cris remained.I fell to one knee on the ground, as the pain burned closer and closer to my rear end.The fire burning up inside of me felt like it was going to boil over soon.I swatted away Cris' hand and gave him one final warning."Get the fuck out of here now.Get the others."

He nodded, but didn't go away; instead he looked up into the moon and began charging his ki into his hands.I knew what he was trying to do, but there wasn't enough time.The pain reached an apex, and I doubled over in agony.Just as soon as the pain maxed out though, it subsided, and I felt my tail rushing out of my spine.I screamed, louder than I ever had before in my life.

When I fused with all those dead saiyans so many years ago, I was "born" with a tail, but as soon as I arrived on earth Kami had it sliced off, I found out why later.Now it was back, and at maybe the worst possible time.

Cris continued to charge up his energy, but it was too late.The rage that'd been brimming up inside of me poured over, I couldn't hold it down any more.I shot up from the ground, and roundhouse kicked Cris in the sternum.I was going full power now, there would be no letting up, I needed to rip off that stupid ass red hair of his from his head.

He fell to the ground, trying to catch his wind, but I wouldn't let him.I brought my hands together and then hammered them into his skull.The blow smashed the ground beneath him and I was sure I heard a few of his bones crack.I laughed in joy, at the time, that sound was the only one I wanted to hear.

Cris whimpered underneath me, which just fuelled me even further.I elbowed him in the spine, snapping his head up from the ground, a scream of agony emitting from his throat.When he fell limp again, I flew away, not wanting to finish him, yet.

I landed in the middle of the field, and looked up.The pale light saturated my eyes, and soon I was bulging, my muscles, my entire body, convulsing and growing beyond anything I'd ever experienced before.As my body grew, so did my hate.I wanted, no I needed, to destroy Cris, to destroy Gideon, to destroy everything I knew in the world.I wasn't weak any longer, I wasn't held back by my body, my body was the source of my newfound power.

As my clothes tore off, and my body turned hairy, I roared with all my might, letting everyone on the damned planet know who I was… what I was.I was Phoenix, a saiyan warrior, and nothing would escape my wrath.

I finished my transformation, and stared down at Cris.He'd pulled himself up from the whole in the ground I'd created, but he was weak, I could feel the lack of life in his body.I roared again, stomping with my feet and crashing the ground underneath me.Cris just stared, a defeated look on his bloody face.I charged up a small amount of power, determined to finish the kid warrior.

He must've felt the power flowing through my body, because he tried to fly away at a turtle's pace.Futile.I finished powering up my energy and shoved it through my mouth, much like Cris had done just a little earlier.My memory played tricks on me.Wasn't that Cris my friend?My partner?No, I thought, the only Cris I knew was the one who needed to die.

As the beam incinerated the slow moving form of Cris, I roared again in victory, and set off to find fresh new victims to quench my insatiable hunger.


	18. Crono's Story (Chapter 17)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

_Chapter 17_

_ _

_Yukia_

_ _

A power surge like the one I felt that night could not go unnoticed.I'm sure that far below me on the mainland, children were waking from their sleep, screaming for their parents.I didn't blame them, in fact I almost felt like doing the same.

I was jolted out of my bed by the sudden jump in power.I sat up in silent terror, the power was almost five times as strong as Gideon, if somehow the Caprians had landed early, we were in deep shit.I searched frantically with my mind to make sure we were all still here.I quickly accounted for Gideon, Arsenia, Nikita, Karnai, and Kennard.I tried to fill in the blanks, but it took me a second to realize that I hadn't picked up Cris or Phoenix.

I searched harder, not wanting to admit any sort of loss yet.After a few seconds I registered something that vaguely resembled Phoenix's ki signature, only it was far more powerful than normal.I realized it was Phoenix who was the extremely powerful one.I darted to my window, and brushed the curtain aside.

The full moon shone back at me in the dark black sky and I cursed several times before heading outside.Once I brushed open the door, the darkness of the night made it nearly impossible to see the other forms roaming about in the courtyard.I knew who they were of course, if only by their ki signatures.

Gideon, Kennard and Karnai had already assembled in the center of the courtyard.I rushed to join them, simply gliding across the cold tiled floor Sky Palace.When I met with them, I realized they'd all changed into their training clothes, while I was still clothed only in the shorts I slept in.Before I embarrassed myself heavily, I zanzokened back to my room and quickly changed the clothes.

When I got back to the courtyard, everyone was there, except Kami, Cris and Phoenix.Nikita, without the use of a shower, was forced to let her beautiful blonde hair blow freely into the wind.I looked at her in silent awe for a second, before I realized she was staring back.I embarrassingly turned to face Gideon, but how could I help myself?She was so beautiful, how could a man not stare at her?Of course she was probably pissed at me for staring like that.

I didn't have much time to worry about what she thought though; Gideon brought me back to reality."We've got a situation here."He stated, his voice coming out hoarsely because of his sudden awaking.

"No shit Sherlock."Came the reply from Arsenia.We all looked at him and Gideon gave him a dirty look.There'd been something going on for a while now between those two, since Krillin died.Arsenia seemed to resent everything Gideon said, and Gideon didn't seem to take any notice of Arsenia at all, which just fuelled the hatred even more.

Nikita walked over to Arsenia, and using her feminine powers, guided his cone of vision away from Gideon.She and the black haired warrior whispered back and forth.After a while, Arsenia seemed to relax, and then both he and Nikita turned back towards the group.Gideon continued."From what I can tell, Phoenix has turned Oozaru and either accidentally or intentionally killed Cris."He paused for a second, letting the information soak in."Now we can wish Cris back, but we have to do it soon, because we also have to wish his friend Triono back, both within two years."This would be easy, but getting the dragon balls within a week wouldn't be easy.Capsule Corp. protected the dragon radar very tightly, and it took Kami himself to pry it from their hands, peacefully.

"So," Gideon proceeded "Nikita, you and Kennard head off to Capsule Corp to get the radar, and get at least one ball before you head back."Nikita nodded, and turned to Kennard.He smiled, nodded, and together they ran full speed to the side of the palace, hopping off in unison, and firing off, ki's flaring up around them.I couldn't help but watch her move, total elegance.

"Yukia, Arsenia, Karnai.Let's go see if we can stop Phoenix."A daunting task to say the least, but something had to be done.Phoenix was powerful enough to probably destroy the entire surface of the planet if he was allowed to roam free.

I covered myself in my white-glowing ki, as those around me did the same.When we were adequately immersed, we all shot off into the sky in unison.

Phoenix's overly powerful ki signature was off to the northeast, and I recognized the place as where Cris and Phoenix often sparred when not in The Arena.How could they be stupid enough to not realize the moon was full tonight?I shook my head as we flew off at a few hundred kilometres a minute.Phoenix should've known his tail was bound to grow back at least once in his life, he was really only a few years old, his body seemed to have the regenerative ability of a young child too, he should've seen it coming.It was too late though, Cris was a goner, and we'd have to go through hell to bring him back now.

We reached the island in maybe twenty… thirty seconds, but landing on it was a whole different story.The island was shaking violently, causing waves to form heading outwards.It was really a sight to behold, but at the same time, it was really scary.I was sure if I wanted to I could've done that to the island, but Phoenix was just walking and shaking it, I really didn't want to be around right then.

I didn't have a choice though; Gideon and Karnai headed low to the ground, and shot off towards the center of the island, where Phoenix was located.Arsenia and I exchanged looks, before joining the two warriors in pursuit of the renegade saiyan.It wasn't hard to locate him; he was stomping around near a mountain range at the heart of the island.Just to get an idea of our upcoming opponents power, I asked, "Does anyone know what Phoenix's power level was within the last week or so?"

"I think I measured it at about 12,000 two days ago."Karnai replied from a little bit ahead of me.I did the math in a heartbeat.120,000.That's what we were going to face, someone with a power level over 3 times that of Karnai's.We had no chance to beat him, that much was certain, but I knew we might have a chance to cut off his tail.If all else failed, we could simply blow up the moon.In that instant I really despised Kami's idea to wish it back a few years ago.

I didn't have time to think of bitching out Kami, we reached Phoenix and saw for the first time the extent of his power.Where as he could shake the entire island by walking, the epicentre of his earthquakes caused the land to almost literally tear itself apart.Rocks were falling off mountainsides, and often the mountains themselves were splitting apart.The sky had turned black from the smoke of several fires burning in the small forests near the mountains.The sounds of the crackling fire, the roaring of Phoenix, and the crashing mountains assaulted my eardrums, forcing me to cover my ears and try to block out the emissions.We crouched behind a small rock formation about twice as high as me.

The air had a pungent smell, mostly from the raging fires, but there was something else, something I couldn't put my finger on.I'm sure everyone else smelt it too, it was overpowering, almost a stench.Gideon looked at me and gave me a confident head nod.I returned it, and then repeated the procedure with Karnai and Phoenix.None of us were bailing, not now.

The large brown, Oozaru form of Phoenix was seemingly unaware of our presence, he just continued to trample the ground and fire huge ki beams from his mouth in seemingly random directions.Gideon noticed it too, and made sure we took advantage of it."He doesn't see us yet.Let's set up a plan."Arsenia muttered something, but Karnai and I just looked at Gideon."We have to get his tail, we get that, he reverts to normal."Seemed simple enough, but I knew it wouldn't be easy."He's not going to just let us chop it off though, he has a natural instinct to protect it, so we need to set a trap and catch him in it."We all nodded, waiting to see what the ambush would be.

Gideon pondered for a few seconds, before finishing the idea."Yukia," he said, turning to me."you know the Special Beam Cannon right?"I nodded an affirmative, and he grinned."I heard Piccolo used that to blow up the moon a while back."Karnai smiled at the mentioning of his famous ancestor."I also heard it takes a while to charge up."I nodded again.It was true; I'd need almost three minutes to charge up enough power to take out the moon.

"All the better."Gideon replied, a smile spreading across his dark face."You're going to be the bait, ok?"He asked.Of course he gave me no chance to think of any answer other than 'yes' continuing on "While your powering up your Special Beam Cannon, Karnai and I will head behind him and try and make a run for his tail.Arsenia, you go above him and if we miss, you go for it."Arsenia nodded, and Gideon looked at each of in turn.He patted me on the shoulder and gave another small nod.

I smiled back, and took in a deep breath.There were butterflies quelling up in my stomach, and a whole lot of fear racing through my heart.I really didn't want the job of human bait, but I guess I was the smallest, and could make a quick escape if I had to.Right before Gideon left, he purged the thought of running from my mind."If we don't make it, just fire the beam cannon at the moon and blow it up."

I dropped my head and shuddered, it was all or nothing I guess.Arsenia floated up slowly, keeping away from the direct line-sight of the raging Phoenix.Gideon and Karnai headed left on opposite sides of the rock we were behind, one heading to the left, the other to the right.Rather than flying and giving off ki, they stayed on the ground, running a wide flank on Phoenix.

The large Oozaru beast was "walking" away off to the west, crashing another mountain with his gigantic fists.Once my three partners were in position, I closed my eyes, and tried to visualize what I was going to do.I couldn't, I was too tired to think clearly, so I just hopped up onto the rock formation I'd previously been hiding behind.I brought my index and middle fingers from my right hand up to my forehead, spread my legs, and began charging the necessary energy.

The Special Beam Cannon was unlike most other attacks; it required a special form of ki manipulation to perform.The energy from the Cannon didn't just come from inside the user, but from all around them as well.It also required the complete focus of the user to direct and control the energy into just two fingers, which is why the beam takes so long to power up.If I was to use three or four fingers for the Cannon, it could produce an erratic beam that could end up incinerating everything within a two-mile radius, including me.

My mind was already clear from lack of sleep, so I just began powering up.I used a small trick I'd learned from Karnai to use the pores on my skin to suck in ki from the living things around me.My muscles began bulging, simply because of the energy that was rushing through them.Sparkles of pure energy visible only as yellow light went off all around me, until it seemed like I was a live wire sticking out of a wall.That's what finally got Phoenix's attention.

He caught me out of the corner of his eye, and almost instantly he stopped roaring and turned his huge body to face me.My heart started pounding seemingly through my chest, until I was sure it was going to pop out of my body.I stared right into the furry mug of my friend, and just kept charging.I was pulling in energy at a very slow pace, but it couldn't be helped.Phoenix stared at me for a few seconds, and I thought he might've recognized me for a second, but then he just roared and began trampling off in my direction.

His heavy, crashing steps rattled the rock I was standing on, and I lost my concentration for a second in order to balance myself.I could see Gideon and Karnai around Phoenix, and almost felt like shouting "Hurry up and try it already!!" But I restrained myself for a while at least.Phoenix covered the kilometre distance between he and I in an amazing time considering his size.In fact, his speed seemed only slightly hampered by his huge form, his legs still moved incredibly fast.

When he was about a hundred feet away from me, Karnai tried his luck.He shot from the ground behind Phoenix and to his right, flying full speed, his white ki gathered in a circle around him.He had his right hand enveloped in slicing ki energy, no doubt to sear the stub of Phoenix's tail when he got in range.He shot straight at the base of the tail, at an amazing speed; I don't think either Karnai or I thought the target itself (the tail) would be what caught him.

Right as Karnai was raising his hand and closing in on the tail, a brown swirl of fur appeared out of nowhere and caught him, stopping him dead in his tracks.It was the end of the tail, which no one had bothered to look for.It had wrapped itself around Karnai's body, and was crushing the life out of the Namek warrior.Phoenix immediately stopped running and turned his head to face Karnai, letting out a slight roar while doing so.Karnai struggled to free himself from the tail, but had no luck, it was simply too strong.Phoenix continued to close the tail tighter and tighter, devastating Karnai's seemingly weak body.

Once Gideon saw Karnai had been stopped, he went to work.He ran full speed from behind and to the left of Phoenix, gliding along the ground effortlessly at an amazing clip.Instead of trying to get in close to slice the tail though, he had a small ki ball ready in his right hand, and when he got a clear sighting of the base of the tail, he let it fly.

Up till then, I thought Phoenix in Oozaru had been fast, but what he did to avoid Gideon's attack was beyond my comprehension.Right as Gideon's blast was just feet away from it's target, Phoenix jumped up in the air.Not just into the air, but high in the air; at least 500 metres, and while doing so he performed at least four back-flips, moving backwards as well, so when he landed, he had Gideon in front of him, right in his sights.

Gideon floated in the air, amazed, a dumbfounded look on his face.I too was stunned, but I didn't let it stop me from charging up the Special Beam Cannon some more.Gideon though, let the amazing performance get to his head, and as Phoenix was prepping his energy, Gideon just continued to float.Phoenix roared and exhaled a huge pink energy blast from his mouth.The strike was perfectly aimed, and it hit Gideon at full force, hurling the black skinned human into the ground; destroying a large portion of the land around him.The beam held for nearly a second, but once it detracted, there was a gigantic smoking crater where before there had only been green grass and dirt.Gideon lay in the fissure, unmoving; a smouldering piece of human flesh.I sensed his ki still though, so he was alive at least, but that blast nearly ended the muscle-laden warrior's life.

So both Gideon and Karnai were out of the picture, and it was up to Arsenia now.The whole time Gideon and Karnai had gone at Phoenix, he'd been prepping one of Krillin's old moves, the Destructo Disc.I smiled, that attack would cut through the tail like it was nothing.The attack was now ready, resting on Arsenia's outstretched hand, and Phoenix didn't seem to notice while Arsenia slowly floated down from the sky towards Phoenix's saiyan appendage.When Arsenia was within twenty metres, he hurled the yellow circle of energy towards the tail.

Either Phoenix had been playing with Arsenia the whole time, or he was quick enough to see the attack and dodge it before it struck.In any case, he simply hopped forward, away from the Disc, and the yellow attack simply drove itself into the ground, shredding the rocks, dirt and grass that lay on top.

Arsenia floated in the air stunned, just like Gideon.As he hung there, Phoenix turned around to face him, and stared straight at Arsenia before firing another huge ki blast from his mouth.This one was badly aimed, and Arsenia easily dodged it, causing it to go hurling into a mountain.Ground zero on the mountain was actually incinerated by the blast, while the rest of the rock-face was simply shattered into a million pieces.

Phoenix screamed an unearthly holler, and was about to try again when Arsenia came to his senses and shot off away from Phoenix, at full speed.Phoenix trotted off after the human, keeping up with Arsenia fairly easily.I'd nearly forgotten about Karnai, being crushed by Phoenix's tail, but the saiyan certainly didn't.He stopped his running, letting Arsenia think he'd given up, wound up his tail for a few seconds, and then pivoted his hips, getting a ton of momentum, and releasing Karnai from his tail's grasp.The Namek warrior went flying at speeds nearing sub-sonic, and was on a direct crash-course for Arsenia.

The human spotted Karnai coming though, and flew straight into the Namek's travel path.He prepped himself against the air, straining his ki, and when Karnai came, he was ready.The green-skinned fighter collided with Arsenia, and sent them both flying a few metres, but Arsenia fought it, and managed to stop them both within a second or two.

Karnai's body was nearly limp, so Arsenia was forced to hold onto it in mid-air.Arsenia shook Karnai a few times and yelled at the Namek repeatedly in an attempt to wake him up.While he was doing so though, Phoenix pounced, jumping forward faster than I could fly.He was on Arsenia before the Z warrior could react.

The giant ape brought up a humungous paw, and swatted both Arsenia and Karnai downward, into a formation of boulders.Their bodies crashed into the blocks of rock at suicidal speeds, and I winced when I heard the cracking of the rocks and the breaking of the bodies of my friends.

I felt Karnai's already weakening ki signature fade even more, while Arsenia's took a run for the worse as well.A cloud of smoke went up where the two had crash-landed, and shrapnel was sent all over the island.Phoenix roared at his seeming victory, and stomped forward a few paces towards Arsenia and Karnai.

He was almost upon them, and I considered ditching the Special Beam Cannon to aid my comrades when suddenly a huge ki ball came out of nowhere and struck itself straight into Phoenix's back.The Oozaru took a few dazed steps forward before regaining his composure.He turned to face whatever it was that had struck him, and he came head on with Gideon.

The human floated in the air, and I realized it was Gideon himself who had rushed into Phoenix.He'd covered himself in his ki and flew full power into Phoenix's back.It was a technique we liked to call a power ram.Gideon had used almost all his power in the attack though, and was hanging in the air like a sitting duck.He was only about 20 metres away from Phoenix, and had no power to move.

Phoenix took advantage of Gideon's weakened state, bringing his massive hands together high in the air, and then dropping them down on Gideon.The hammer-blow sent Gideon crashing into the ground again, a circle of dust exploding from the ground upon impact.Gideon laid on the ground again, immobile for a second time.

Phoenix roared in triumph yet again before raising his foot a good twenty yards and holding it there.He looked straight at Gideon, then turned his head and looked at me.Our eyes interlocked, and for a brief moment, I could see the rage in his heart.Phoenix didn't want to do all this destruction, he needed to do it.The saiyan side of him needed to fight, to kill, to destroy, and he'd been suppressing that.Until this night, Phoenix had been trying to live like the rest of us, when in fact he wasn't one of us at all, he was something much more special.

Just as soon as all this hit me, Phoenix bellowed and brought his foot crashing down towards Gideon's unmoving body.I closed my eyes, waiting for the crushing blow to hit, when suddenly there was a flare of ki and a rush of air blowing by my face.

I opened my eyes, and saw Phoenix stepping down with all his weight, but he wasn't touching the ground or Gideon.There was a white light, like a burning fire under Phoenix's foot, and I recognized it as Arsenia.He'd surrounded himself in ki and was using all his strength to push Phoenix's foot up and away from he and Gideon.I understood now, Arsenia had flown away from the wreckage of his crash with the rocks, and saved Gideon's life.

I smiled again; Arsenia had put aside his petty differences with Gideon to save a teammates life.I cheered him silently as he pushed with all his power in an attempt to stop Phoenix.Arsenia screamed, so loudly I heard him even though we were at least a few hundred metres apart.With one gigantic surge of power, he hurled Phoenix's foot to the side.

When the ape foot touched the ground, Arsenia collected Gideon's body in his arms and flew off.Phoenix wasted no time in keeping pursuit, trampling off after Arsenia's glowing white trail of Ki.The Oozaru beast fired several ki beams from his mouth, but Arsenia was far enough away to dodge most of them.The human zigged and zagged over the island, often making a circle so that he wouldn't lead Phoenix too far away from the Special Beam Cannon and I.

After a while, Gideon came back to life and Arsenia let him go fly by himself so Phoenix would have two people to chase.The saiyan was split between the two targets, and roared in anger.As soon as he did, a large yellow ball of ki appeared out of the sky.I thought it would strike Phoenix, but instead it stopped right in front of his face and hung there.

The big ape looked quizzically at the ball of energy, like a baby stares at their mobile above their crib.The ball of energy darted left, then right, and Phoenix's eyes and body followed.The ball moved away and Phoenix followed it.Arsenia and Karnai flew away, and set down on a pair of rocks in order to rest for a while and regain some energy.

Phoenix tried grasping the sphere with his paws, but it shot away and the beast strode after it again.I sensed that someone near me was controlling the ki, so I searched around.It couldn't be Arsenia or Gideon, and I hadn't picked up Nikita or Kennard heading our way, so that left… Karnai.I looked back to the rocks he'd been embezzled in, and saw him standing near the rubble, his right hand outstretched, his left grasping his right wrist.I recognized the attack instantly, the Tsuihidan, which Karnai had perfected just a few months ago.I still was unable to perform the attack, mainly because I'd been practicing the Special Beam Cannon the whole time.

I kept charging the Cannon to its full power, indeed it was almost ready.The air itself around me seemed almost alive, as crackles of ki and electricity sprayed themselves in every direction.I almost had enough power, and had taken all I could from the things around me, all the energy I needed now would have to come from myself.My muscles felt weak and tired from the strain, but I kept charging, nothing would stop me now.

Karnai continued to lead Phoenix around like a dog on a leash, while Arsenia and Gideon had recovered quite a bit of energy.Karnai's energy ball left Phoenix's back to the two human warriors, and they pounced on an opportunity to strike the tail.

Both of them rocketed away from the rocks they'd been on, and both had energy blasts powered up and aimed towards Phoenix's tail.The saiyan proved himself a worthy opponent yet again though, and right as they were about to fire, he turned and jumped straight towards them.

Gideon tried averting to the left, and Arsenia directly away, but Phoenix caught one of them in each of his paws and began crushing the life out of them.I heard both of their screams, but the cries of agony were droned out by Phoenix's roar.Fear and anger raced through my heart, I really hadn't expected Phoenix to grab them like that, and now they were being crushed out of existence.

The turn left Karnai's attack behind Phoenix now though, so the Namek tried to take advantage, sending the orb flying towards Phoenix's tail.

Before the attack could do any damage though, Phoenix's tail swept the attack harmlessly to the side, crashing it into another mountain and causing it to explode before Karnai could alter it's direction.

In the two seconds it took to swat away Karnai's attack, all hope drained from me.I could hear Gideon's bones cracking under the pressure of Phoenix's grip.I could feel Arsenia's pleas for help vibrate through my bones.I could smell Karnai's sweat as he flew off in a futile attempt to save his friends.I couldn't take it, I couldn't just watch Phoenix do this to everyone, not in my life.

I screamed.I just screamed, the loudest I think I ever had in my life.I screamed for Gideon and Arsenia, for Karnai, for Cris, for myself, but most of all for Phoenix.I couldn't stand to see someone I'd gotten to know so well over the last two years turn into a raging beast with no thought but to kill.Saiyan blood-lust be damned, he wasn't going to hurt another friend of mine, much less himself.

I screamed loud and long, maybe 20 seconds, before I got Phoenix's attention.He turned his head and neck to me first, with seemingly newfound interest.I ended the scream and spat in his direction.He dropped Arsenia and Gideon to the ground.Karnai flew after them and managed to catch them before they touched the ground.

Phoenix must've thought I was trying to match him in a roaring contest, because he screamed right back at me, so loudly the rocks beneath my feet cracked slightly.He then rushed at me, running full speed.He closed the small gap between us in no time, but just as he did, I finished powering up my Special Beam Cannon.

I smiled, then began chuckling, until finally I was laughing my head off.Phoenix stopped about ten yards away from me and tilted his head, staring at me strangely.I tilted my head back towards the sky in laughter, my two fingers still on my forehead, and looked at the moon.

I could see the small craters on it, the small colony of robotic mining depots Capsule Corp. had put up there, the frozen lakes that littered the land; indeed, I could see it all, and then I destroyed it.

I whipped up the fully charged right hand, fingers extended, and screamed "Special Beam Cannon FIRE!!!!"

I watched as the thin beam of circular energy made it's way to the moon, and gazed intently as it tore the hunk of rock to shreds.Phoenix roared, nothing new, and I just kept laughing.I fell back onto my rock, and stretched out in exhaustion.

I craned my neck up, and watched as Phoenix's large form shrunk.It took nearly ten seconds for him to reach his regular size, but when he did, a rush of fresh air invaded my lungs.I didn't want to move, but I knew a lot of people would need to be sent to regeneration chambers pretty soon, so I sat up, and hopped down to the ground.


	19. Crono's Story (Chapter 18)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 18

Triono

Death.

One single word, that struck fear into the hearts of every single man, woman and child.No one in their right mind could say that they did not fear death, fear their own mortality.Death is the root of all fear in the world, and the sooner you realize this, the sooner it conquers you.

To me though, death was un-consequential, a mere inconvenience that would take at most a year to right.The dragon balls made this possible.Indeed death had no hold on me, and I relished this fact.

Death was my specialty though.Creating it, conquering it, and ultimately doing without it.Just a while ago I'd been given a weapon with which to excel at it even more.

When Krillin had come to King Kai's small lump of green a few months ago, he'd brought with him a bag, and within it a few items.Among them was a long bladed samurai type sword, which King Kai had given me to train with, and later on take back to Earth to use against the Caprians.The sword was thin, silvery-white, pointed on only one side, and extremely heavy.

It seemed like one of King Kai's many hidden talents was his mastery of the blade.He'd taught me how to control every aspect of the sword, so after only a few weeks I'd mastered it's basic uses. (ex. Slashing, blocking, stabbing, sheathing etc.)A little while after that he taught me a technique called the Doominator, which was very similar to the Triple Strike, except with a sword.The technique was fairly easy to perform since I'd previously mastered the Triple Strike, but the next attack King Kai taught me was much harder to learn.

It was called the Dragon Shock, and it was performed like so:The user holds the sword at shoulder height, legs bent, blade sticking straight forward, and faces the opponent.Once ready, they zanzoken in front of the target, and then quickly zanzoken behind them.They then repeatedly zanzoken literal circles around whoever it is their fighting, confusing their opponent beyond words.Occasionally they would stop and quickly slash their enemy with the heavy sword, but the trick was to not let the attack slow down the zanzokening.

The attack was truly a test of physical capability, and I had still been unable to master it after nearly two months of sword training.I came close to finishing it once or twice, but I usually just ran out of energy, collapsing to the ground.I was walking the path I hadn't wanted to, doing physical training a lot more than my usual mental discipline. 

Almost luckily though, my training with King Kai was nearly complete.In the five months I'd spent with him, I'd mastered every technique he'd taught me, save one, and I'd become incredibly powerful as well.I couldn't wait to see what Cris would think of me when we met again, no doubt he would be impressed beyond belief.Little did I know, I'd be seeing him all too soon.

I was beginning to practice Dragon Shock, by the tree on the small green planet, when King Kai walked up to me, and asked me something."Triono, what do you think you've learned from me in the past five months?"

I stopped on the spot I was on, placed my sword into its leather sheath on my belt, and thought about my question.King Kai seemed to be serious for the first time in a while, and it was kind of upsetting.After a few seconds I answered, "Well, I've learnt a bunch of different ki attacks.I've mastered how to use my sword, my body, and my mind." I frowned slightly, thinking of more to say."I've learnt how to fight beyond my wildest dreams." Bubbles came out from behind the house to my left, and that reminded me of something else."I've learnt to respect everything I see, not just what I think is worthy of my respect."King Kai nodded, a grim look on his face.

"Well," he started, before taking a deep sigh."that's about all I can expect to teach a student.So it's with a happy heart I can tell you that the Z warriors down on Earth have almost collected all the dragon balls, and are going to wish you back; sometime tomorrow probably."As he told me, a rush of excitement ripped through my veins, and I smiled broadly.I'd be going back, to meet all my new allies, to train for the Caprians, to----- wait a second, I wasn't supposed to be wished back for another three months, so why was I going back so soon?

"King Kai, wasn't I supposed to be wished back in a few months?Why am I going back so soon?"King Kai looked at me, and a glare struck me from his sunglasses, causing me to squint.

"Well, there's a few reasons."He hung his head slightly and sighed before continuing."First of all, if you go back now, you'll be back in time to start your heavy gravity training."That seemed like a good idea, considering how strong I'd gotten under 10 times gravity."And, uh, well, there was an accident, back on Earth."

Like any inquisitive little saiyan, I immediately asked, "What kind of accident?"

"Oh, nothing you have to worry about."I thought King Kai knew me better than that.No way he was gonna leave me hanging like that.

"C'mon, tell me.I gotta know."

He just shrugged, and then replied."Well, one of the Z warriors died."

I sighed.Now one of my allies would be behind in his training when he got back to earth, which could be a big weakness when the Caprians arrived.A question suddenly popped in my head."Who was it?"

King Kai immediately tensed up, his head snapping up, his shoulders becoming rigid, and his hands trembling.I knew right then that I'd gotten King Kai right where he didn't want to be.When he didn't respond after a few seconds, I kept at it."Well?Who is it?"

King Kai winced, almost as if he was in pain before whispering out a name.I strained my ears to hear it, but his voice was just too quite.I smirked; he actually thought he could elude me.I looked straight into his eyes and shook my head.He smiled, shrugged, and answered."It was Cris."

A wave of emotions overpowered me, causing me to fall to the ground.Cris was dead, and now I was going back to take his place.The thought scared me, but worse still was when I realized with Krillin and Cris dead, I had no friends on the living plane.Did I actually consider Cris a friend?After everything we'd been through, up until I was killed, did I really respect him enough to call him a friend?

Yes, I did, he was a friend, maybe even my best friend.I shook my head at the pure absurdity of the thought.Just a year ago we were heated rivals with totally different ethics, but now we shared a common goal, and we would be forced to share a master, and a way of life.

Share a master, I thought, that didn't sound right."King Kai," I began, tilting my head up to the blue-skinned "will Cris come to train under you?"

The martial arts master swallowed deeply before replying, "Yes, he should be arriving any day now."

I bowed my head again, and began to think.Cris was my friend, but somewhere deep down within me I needed to do something.I needed to show him up, to match and beat him at his own game, to prove to him, to me, and to everyone else that I was superior.I wanted to train alongside him and show that I could match him in every aspect of the word.I stood up, stared straight at King Kai and said, "I'm staying."

His jaw dropped, his beady eyes opened up underneath his glasses, and asked, "What?"

I stated flatly "I'm staying.I'm going to stay here and train with you."

King Kai shook his head at a rapid pace almost yelling out "No, no, no, no.You see the dragon balls don't come back for another year, so they have to wish one of you back right now and the other has to wait another year.If they wait any longer, the Caprians will have arrived, and we won't be able to wish one of you back."

"I don't care, I'm staying."I sounded like an immature little kid, but I couldn't come up with a counter-argument.

"But Triono, Cris is already running down snake way, we can't wish him back in the time necessary.Wishing you back will let you speed up your training considerably, this is what's best for you, and for Cris."

"No!"I screamed back at King Kai."Staying here and training with Cris is what's best for me."It was true too.The entire time back home, all Cris and I ever did for each other was motivate one another.Most of the time he was pushing me to get stronger and faster, but I knew that I was the one reason he trained later on, I was the only one who could quench the challenge he desired.Now we would push each other once again, only this time it wasn't towards our petty differences, it was for the fate of the galaxy."Trust me."

King Kai stared at me blankly, and I returned the favour."One of you will eventually have to be wished back, and the other will be forced to stay here while the entire battle goes down."

"Then let whoever shows the greatest increase in a few months be the one that gets wished back."The idea had just suddenly popped in my head, but it instantly made sense.With a motivating factor like life at stake, we would surely drive each other to our limits."You have to have faith in me King Kai, I know what I'm doing."

He dropped his head, his mind saturated in deep thought for seemingly hours "Alright Triono, if you really think that's what's best, let me contact Cris and see if he agrees."

I opened my mouth in protest, but realized I wouldn't be able to convince King Kai to not talk to Cris without revealing my little training scheme.I closed my mouth as King Kai turned to face snake way, his antennae whipping in different directions, and whispered to myself "It's up to you now Cris."

King Kai's black antennae flashed on and off several times, and I managed to pick up some of the telekinetic waves passing between the two.After a while the emissions ceased, and King Kai dropped his head.

I smiled, he'd said yes, and King Kai was pissed.The black clothed master turned around and confirmed my assumption before picking up Bubbles and heading back to the house slowly.Good old Cris, I knew he'd agree, in fact he probably even came up with the same realization I did.We were a lot alike in some ways.

I yelled over to King Kai "Make sure you tell Kami on Earth not to wish either of us back!"The little man made some sort of hand gesture I couldn't make out before walking into the house.I smiled; I knew King Kai wouldn't let me down.There was a slight rumbling in my stomach and I yelled again "Oh yeah, King Kai, when is supper?!?"


	20. Crono's Story (Chapter 19)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 19

Kami

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There was only one place on the planet I called home that made me feel truly alive.Looking down over everything that was mine, everything that I was given to protect, somehow made me feel complete.

I remember Mr. Popo telling me when I first took over the role of Kami that my predecessor, the great Piccolo, would spend hours standing in the very spot I always stood, surveying his land much like I did.

I stood there, on the edge of Sky Palace, looking down upon all that lush green and blue that was called Earth.I sighed deeply, my old body heaving stiffly as well.There was so much going on right then, I didn't know if there was one specific thing that I should watch first.

So much to do, I thought, and so little time.Two years, that was all we had left, two years to prepare fully for the Caprians.I knew my students were training their absolute hardest, but I had a small nagging feeling somewhere within me that we just wouldn't be ready.

I quelled the thought quickly, and decided to concentrate on each of my trainees in turn.

I started with Gideon, seeking out the familiar ki signature of my most powerful human trainee.I picked it up right where it had been for the past week, off in the southeast islands.He was on one of the islands with a large gravity field generator, and a few other pieces of training equipment.I was pretty sure he was training under 10 times earth normal gravity, although I couldn't be certain.I knew for sure though that Gideon had been running himself ragged on that island, training his absolute hardest, both physically and mentally.I was glad for this of course, but I was also sort of worried.If there was one thing we wouldn't need when the Caprians arrived, it was a tired out Gideon.I had a small worry that he was wearing himself thin, that he would break down when the Caprians arrived, and that scared me a whole lot.

He was doing well that day though, full of energy and life, so I continued onto Yukia and Kennard.The two were also in the southeast islands, but a lot closer to Master Roshi and the Turtle House.The two had elected to spar together, while also using the gravity device provided by Capsule Corp.They'd been hard at it for a few days, first letting each other grow accustomed to the newfound gravity.When I looked upon them at that specific time, they were both meditating, giving their bruised and battered bodies a much needed break.

I smiled, and moved onto Nikita.The young blonde girl had decided to train alone in Capsule Corp. headquarters in Satan City.She'd been devastated after hearing about Cris' death, and had spent a lot of time alone since then.I didn't know whether or not they'd shared some sort of bond (or something more), and I didn't really want to find out, so I kept my distance from her.When she'd requested training at Capsule Corp. headquarters, I arranged it and she seemed slightly happier.I wasn't worried about her though, I knew she was tough, she'd pull through.I found her practicing ki attacks in the west wing of the main Capsule Corp. building, shooting the streams of ki energy into highly absorptive pieces of plexiglas that could absorb almost any type of energy bombardment.Capsule Corp. had developed the glass a few years back, and it allowed my students to train much more effectively with their ki attacks.

I didn't have to look very far for Arsenia, he was almost right below Karin tower and Sky Palace, training.He'd set up his gravity field in a large grassland a few kilometres away from Sky Palace.He never came up to talk to Mr. Popo, or I, so it left me wondering why he would want to remain so close to Sky Palace.I shook my head, the human Arsenia was indeed a wonder to behold.When I looked upon him, he was just zanzokening around under the heavy gravity, going on until he collapsed from exhaustion.

After Arsenia, I turned my attention to Karnai.The Namek warrior had decided to take a Capsule Corp. space pod, and train while orbiting the earth.He'd told me that it helped him to avoid the many distractions that were found on Earth, which would only slow down his training.I spotted him flying over the axis of the equator, and felt his ki signature fading and then regrouping rapidly, then I noticed there were in fact two of his ki signatures.For a second I stood confounded at the edge of the Sky Palace before realising my stupidity.He had been using his Split Form technique to spar with himself.I shook my head, I was getting slower in my old age.He seemed to be doing fine though, neither of the ki signatures overpowering the other for more than a few seconds, so I continued on.

Phoenix was the only earthbound Z warrior left, and the one I was most worried about.He'd spent every single second of his time alone on the island where Cris and he had begun sparring that one fateful night.He was completely silent throughout, not speaking more than two words to me afterwards, except for to get his gravity machine.The death of Cris seemed to sullen the entire life out of the saiyan warrior, which left a grave feeling in my heart.Through past experiences with the saiyans, I knew that their will to fight was everything, without it, they were nothing.Phoenix had no will, no drive, nothing with which to motivate him any harder.While the rest of the warriors treated the gravity training as a new test, Phoenix just trudged through it like he had with all the other training.

I couldn't imagine what was running through Phoenix's head, and I didn't really want to, but I needed to know if I could count on him when the Caprians arrived.After Cris' death he'd shown hesitation towards the upcoming battle, almost _fear_, which is a word never mentioned in the same sentence as a saiyans will to fight.

In any case, Phoenix was going to be a handful, and sooner or later I'd have to talk to him about what was wrong.

When I sensed him training on the island, he was barely working, just lifting some of the free-weights he'd brought with him to the island.An enigma to say the least, I forced myself to put him behind me and moved onto my two remaining trainees.

Cris and Triono had been together on King Kai's planet for under a week, and King Kai had been keeping me updated on their progress.After just a few days, the two had already begun a fierce competition.Cris was determined to catch up to Triono, training wise, to prove that he was the better warrior.He seemed to be succeeding too, already catching the hairy monkey Bubbles and most recently hitting Gregory with one of King Kai's heaviest hammers.King Kai had begun to teach Cris the Triple Strike, and had told me just a few days earlier that he was considering trying to teach Cris the legendary Kaioken attack.Apparently the renowned martial arts master was amazed by Cris' work ethic (similar to Goku's he'd said), and his unwillingness to give into any challenge.King Kai had begun tempering a sword for Cris to train with, similar to Triono's.I was beginning to wonder if perhaps Cris was a special kind of warrior.After all, he'd been only the third person to master the full power of the Kamehameha, had increased more from a year of training than any of the other warriors previously under my training, and was now perhaps the only being in the universe who could match up to Goku training-wise.

As hard as Cris was pushing though, Triono was nearly matching him every step along the way.The saiyan had mastered King Kai's sword technique, the Dragon Shock, and was now beginning to learn the final move of King Kai's rapier repertoire: the Soaring Heavens Flash.

It seemed to me that the two fed off each other to an extent I hadn't seen since Goku and Vegeta.Neither one would accept any mercy from the other, both of them wanted to be better than the other.

Right now, Triono was far stronger than Cris, both physically and mentally, but the human was already beginning to make up ground.I didn't know who would come out on top, but the loser was going to face at least another year with King Kai after the other left.

King Kai was sleeping at the specific time I was looking for Cris and Triono, and I decided not to wake the legendary joker.

So each of my trainees seemed to be doing fine, at least so far.I knew deep down they'd each deal with their fate in their own way, and all I could do was aid them along the way.

I leaned onto my long, wooden cane, and peered out over all that I oversaw.The endless green fields, the crystal clear lakes, the sweet tasting air, the clear blue sky, it was all mine, mine to protect.I sighed again, my old green body cramping with the movement, a slight soreness running through my back, and closed my eyes.Birds chirping, waterfalls rushing, hover cars flying, wind breezing slowly by my ears; these were the sounds of life, of existence, of everything I was born to keep safe.

I opened my eyes again and took in one last vision.This was it, this was life.


	21. Crono's Story (Chapter 20)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 20

Phoenix

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The rays of powerful heat beat down on my body, wave after unending wave, like a tide on the shore of a beach.The light immersed everything; nothing could escape it.My mouth was dry; the air sapped of all moisture, the sea all around me itself was almost boiling.High above me was the cause of all the unease, the bright orb of light that we called the sun.At that point in time, it wasn't the heavy gravity I was under that was my main enemy, it was that sphere, millions of kilometres away from me.

Still, there was no other place I wanted to be.The sun was a good thing; its presence meant that it was daytime, that the darkness of night would not rear its ugly head.The night time was the only thing I feared anymore, it housed nothing but evil and hate.

So I trained hard during the daytime, and during the night, I slept.Sleep was my only refuge from the night, it let me block out the insanity.I didn't even have dreams to remind me of my last night awake on my island.I used to have dreams, long ago, but now that I was Phoenix, I didn't have them any more, probably part of the Saiyan mind.

So being a Saiyan did have perks after all, that much was true, but so far being a member of the species had done little for me, other than cause pain and anguish.After all, I hadn't chosen to be a Saiyan, it kind of chose me.If I had to do it all over again, I probably would've chosen to die on that piece of rock that used to be planet Vegeta.

The powers bestowed upon me so long ago felt like nothing but a burden, a weight upon my shoulders that could break me at will.I was scared of that weight breaking me, of sending me in another rage of source less anger and destruction, like that night with Cris.

I was genuinely scared of my power, of its ability to bend my will to do it's bidding, almost like it had control over me, instead of visa-versa.This was the reason that I wasn't trying my absolute hardest to increase my strength; I was worried my power would eventually exceed my ability to control.

So while all my friends went all out in their bids to become more powerful, I lagged behind, scared of my own power.It was almost funny… I was supposed to be the last remaining Saiyan, the pinnacle of pride and fighting spirit, and here I was, afraid that my power might hurt someone.

I knew I couldn't lag too far behind, or else I'd be the weak link when the Caprians arrived.I mentally knew that Cris would be back eventually, that we'd talk it over, and make up for what I did, but somewhere deeper within me, I couldn't forgive myself for what I'd done to him.In only four months we'd become best friends, just to have me kill him off.I couldn't excuse myself for that, and I'd made a vow never to let that happen to a friend of mine again.

I shook my head.I knew I had to stop thinking about Cris, it would only screw me up in the end, and I didn't have time for that.I looked out over the vast expanse of the island I was beginning to call a home, and restarted my training.

I turned to face a large boulder-like rock off to my right, bent my legs slightly, and then quickly zanzokened.When I reappeared, I was right in front of the rock, with my right hand curled into a tight fist by my side.I struck the rock with all my might, causing it to shatter straight down its axis, before eventually breaking in several directions.Splinters of red-brown rock flew all around my head and body, but I didn't have time to stand idly and watch the destruction.I zanzokened again, this time to a large, bridge like rock behind me and to my left.

I again swung and devastated the rock face, this time causing the small mountain-like rock to crumble to the ground.Before the first pieces were falling though, I had zanzokened to another rock about half the size of me.This time I quickly brought up my right leg and then swept it down at full force into the torso of the rock.It split straight down the middle, sending pieces of rock flying on both sides of my feet.

Again I zanzokened right after striking, reappearing beside a high rock, and driving my elbow deep into it's hard surface.I continued zanzokening around the small island, until I had broken, shattered, or otherwise demolished every piece of rock within the heavy gravity zone.It took nearly five minutes to lay waste to the landscape, but it proved to be worth it; I was winded and gasping for air at the end, always a good sign when training.

I felt like taking a break, but I knew that wouldn't help me in the long run, it'd just allow time for memories, bad memories, to surface again.Instead I quickly flew over to the gravity machine to see how it was doing.

The gravity device itself was simply a small (two feet high) oval like metallic object with a bunch of switches and control pads on the sides.It's silvery siding reflecting brightly, especially under the bright light of the sun, and whenever it was in use, it hummed slightly.

I dropped right next to the machine, and bent down to it.The small liquid display screen on the right side of the device read "10", which was what I'd set it at.In a few days, I'd have to up it to about 20 times normal gravity to continue the training.It'd been less than two weeks since we'd all begun our gravity training, and I knew the likes of Gideon and Karnai had probably already increased the gravity level.I didn't mind, I'd rather take it nice and slowly, after all, it didn't matter how fast we progressed, just as long as we did progress.

After I was done checking the gravity level, I moved onto the field width.The gravity device had originally been made to encompass the size of a small Capsule Corp. pod, such as the one Goku and Vegeta used to train for the androids so many years ago.Since then though, Capsule Corp. had derived how to control the field, and make it expand over anywhere from 10 metres to a few kilometres.The generators we were using were the latest models, able to create a circle of gravity 10 kilometres in diameter.I'd set the field to only 6 kilometres, so any birds or other animals wouldn't accidentally be crushed under the gravity field.I'd been using part of my ki to ward away the animals when I had the gravity field activated, but at 10 kilometres it was nearly impossible to direct every single one of them away.Already all the plant, grass and insect life within my field was crushed and dead, so when I left the training spot, there'd be a patch of dead land waiting to be renewed.

The gravity field was still at the right size, so I stood up, turned towards the ocean and flew over to the coast.I plopped down on the small beachhead, and dropped down into my fighting stance.I took a few seconds, closed my eyes, letting my ears take in the sounds of the rolling ocean, and then proceeded to practice my basic attacks.

I started with my punches and kicks, proceeding onto my close combat throws, holds, elbows and knees, before going onto my small and medium sized ki blast attacks.When it came time to use the energy attacks, I directed them all into the sea, controlling their course beyond the gravity field and into the ocean.I must've fired a few hundred blasts before I began to grow tired.Still, I continued on, throwing wave after wave of the ki flashes mercilessly into the water in front of me.

When I finally gave up, almost all my energy had been expended, and I sunk to the ground, gasping for air.I looked up into the sky, and saw the sun had changed positions since I last stared into it.It was now beginning to descend away from me, beginning to allow the darkness to cover the sky.

I continued to take in deep breaths, just staring out into the ocean.I hit some sort of a trance; my breathing slowed, my eyes remained fixated on nothing in particular, and my mind began to wander.It was kind of like meditation, except for the fact I lost all control of my mind, like it was separated from my soul and body.It drifted over my memories of that last night, but luckily didn't remain fixated on them.Instead it concentrated on one thing, like an epicentre of thought within my memory.

Before me hung the moon, glowing dimly, seemingly resting on the surface of the ocean in front of my eyes.Now if I'd had control of my own mind, I probably would've realized that the moon had been destroyed, and that I must've been seeing things.However, my mind had a thought of its own.

I stared at the fake moon.For how long, I don't know.I remember seeing the sun slowly moving down in the corner of my eye.After a while, the moon seemed to get brighter and brighter, almost like it was moving towards me.

Soon the light was blinding, but I continued to stare straight into it.Then suddenly, an epiphany.A moment of clarity unlike anything I'd ever felt or heard of before.I slowly brought my hand up, still staring at the moon straight ahead of me.I opened my palm upwards, curved my fingers up like I was holding a large ball in my hands, and then began to send my ki energy into it.

Soon a small ball of energy sprung up from my palm.I didn't look at it, didn't even really notice it, I still stared straight into the moon.Slowly, oh so slowly, the moon began to move.It drifted slowly, moving towards my outstretched hand.It came closer and closer, seemingly taking an eternity, before it reached my hand.Then the moon began to disappear, replaced by a light very, very similar to its own.

Eventually the moon was gone, and in its place was the ball of energy I had created.It seemed familiar, almost like I'd seen it before.Then I realized, I had.It was the moon, or something very similar to it, and I had created it.

I gazed into the ball of light, bore into it with my pupils.As I did so, the hair on my arms began to rise, the fur on my tail began to prick up, and I began to sense my power rising.The realization that I held a miniature moon in my palm struck me, and I quickly crushed it with my hand.

Immediately my hairs fell back into place, my power level fell back down, and I fell into a heap in the sand.I laid on my back for a good long while, trying to understand what I had done, but failing for the longest time.A wave of weakness and tiredness I'd rarely felt before came upon me, and I began to nod off to sleep.

I tried weakly to keep my eyes open, but failed terribly.I laid in the sand with my eyes closed, not knowing if I would wake up.


	22. Crono's Story (Chapter 21)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 21

Cris

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"It's impossible damn it!!!!!!"I screamed at King Kai.He just looked at me with a blank facial expression and squinting eyes."I don't think I can do it."I said, slightly quieter this time.

"You can do it Cris, I know you can."He replied in a quiet voice.I shook my head and closed my eyes, not wanting to face my masters' eyes.I knew he was just trying to encourage me, but I didn't need encouragement at that particular time, I needed to perform the attack.

"I just can't clear my mind like you can King Kai."I paused, waiting for his reply.None came, so I continued."The level of clear-headedness you're asking for is impossible to reach."

His rebuttal came quickly "It's not impossible.Two people have already learnt how to achieve it, and there's no reason there can't be a third."

"Well, I think it's just asking too much.I don't know how you mastered it."I answered back in a hoarse voice.

King Kai took a step towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder."Trust me on this one Cris, you can do it.If Goku can do it, then so can you."I nodded, feeling kind of honoured to be mentioned in the same category as the great Son Goku.

"You really have that much faith in me?"I asked hesitantly.

"Of course."He replied enthusiastically.I just nodded, and King Kai went on in a whisper "Don't tell Triono, but I think you're a much better student than him or any other one.Besides Goku of course."I smiled, storing the information away for future reference.

"Now," King Kai began anew, pulling back his arm and withdrawing a few steps."Do you want to go over how to perform the Kaioken one more time?"

"Nah."I replied.Hearing what I already knew couldn't help me any more; after all, I'd memorized all the steps a few tries ago.Stretch the body completely, close eyes, clear mind, keep mind cleansed for several minutes, allowing no thought to enter it, and then basically scream Kaioken and power up.

It all seemed so simple, but in reality it was tearing me apart.I'd mastered every move King Kai had taught me in the two months I'd been training with him, and then I hit the roadblock called Kaioken.It was just far too demanding, even for me.It required the user to reach some sort of trance-like state, where the body and the mind were separated, and yet operated as a pair.

I really didn't understand how it worked, but then again, neither did King Kai.I'd been trying for almost half a week to reach the elusive condition needed for Kaioken, and I'd had no luck.I was actually about to ask King Kai to teach me the Soaring Heavens Flash instead, so I could match up to Triono in a sword fight, but he had been adamant that I keep trying Kaioken.

So I tried, for hours on end each day to clear my mind at the level King Kai wanted.I'd come close a few times, but then a single thought would flare up in my head, and my chance would be ruined.I just couldn't keep my mind from pushing something to the surface, damn teenage mind.

King Kai nodded and turned on his heel to go back toe the house.I heard Triono and Gregory off near the "front" yard of the house, where they were sparring.Not really sparring, more like Triono trying to slice Gregory's head off with his sword.Strong and fast as Triono was though, he still couldn't do it.

I dropped my head, and tried once more to master the Kaioken manuever.I forced all the thoughts out of my head, and tried to keep it that way.I actually managed to hold onto the clear head for a while, almost fifty seconds, before I heard Triono cut a deep slash into King Kai's car.The sound completely wrecked my concentration and the moment I'd been nearing darted away.

I grunted loudly in frustration and turned to yell at Triono.King Kai already was though, yelping about his precious vehicle, so I just clenched my fist and walked away from all the noise.

I just kept walking, in really just a big circle, around the axis of the small planet.I wandered for several minutes, my head down, my mind roaming freely as well.I kept trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, but I couldn't find any glaring flaw in what I was doing.My walk was interrupted rather rudely when I, almost literally, bumped into a tree.

I stopped just short of the light brown bark, and silently cursed myself for my foolishness.I looked up and down the trunk of the tree, examining the leaves, the barely noticeable sap running down the side, and the old but strong branches.I furrowed my brow, sighed deeply, turned and sat myself down in front of the tree.If it worked so well for Triono, why not for me?

I crossed my legs into the normal yoga-style meditation position, closed my eyes, and began to concentrate.Unlike before though, this time I thought back to when King Kai had been trying to first teach me the Kaioken.I went over every word, looking for some hidden tip of some kind.I came up empty for a second before I recalled a passing remark my master had made."Clear your mind, make it like a crystal."Like a crystal…

I pictured a crystal, a large, diamond-like crystal sitting right in front of me.I just stared straight ahead, into this imaginary crystal, and concentrated everything on this.I continued to stare, thinking of nothing other than the clarity of this crystal.I let my mind fixate on the crystal, and did nothing with my body, and I waited.I must've stared for a good six minutes, and I swear no other thought entered my mind, but still there was nothing.

King Kai had said there would be a feeling, somewhat like butterflies in the stomach, before you are able to perform the Kaioken attack.No feeling like that came, so after the six minutes I gave up.

I let out another grunt of frustration.I felt like I was going to explode, everything I did met with failure.King Kai had said that it would take me at least a few months to master the technique.Hell, it took Goku that long of a time, but a few months wasn't good enough for me.I needed to perfect the attack now.I needed to be better than anyone else had ever been before, better than even Goku.I needed to prove to King Kai that I was worthy of using the Kaioken attack.I needed to prove to Triono, and to myself, who was the better warrior.I needed to master every technique taught to me, so I would be a worthy foe to the Caprians when they arrived.In other words, I needed to finish learning the Kaioken attack.

I punched the ground in aggravation, and almost yelled out again, but caught myself.I took in a deep breath instead, and thought back to calmer times.I thought of Phoenix and I, always together in The Arena.I thought of my endless nights with Karnai as he taught me the most advanced techniques he had at his disposal.I thought back to my days with Master Roshi, of the morning routine I still held true to each and every day I trained.

I remembered even farther back, to my days spent training, and my nights spent with Seana.Just remembering her face slowed my thoughts, and at the same time created a stab of fear.Just as I was recalling her, a thought popped in my head:What was she doing now?Surely she'd figured I was gone training again, but over a year had passed, and she was probably worried.

I wanted to stop the train of thought, but was un-able to.Maybe she was more than worried, maybe she thought I had died, against Triono for all she knew.I began to get the butterflies my stomach, but it certainly wasn't leading to Kaioken.I began taking in short, rapid breaths, as I continued to contemplate what was happening with Seana.Maybe, just maybe, she'd given up on me.Moved on to another man, another life, forgotten about me completely.I shook my head, trying to rationalize that our bond had been too strong to be overcome by time, but the more logical part of my brain took over, telling me the obvious truth.She was human, and so was I.She'd undoubtedly gone on with her life and moved past me.

My mouth fell open, my neck craned back, and I began to cry.I couldn't help it; there was no way I could.She'd meant the world to me, and now I'd most likely have to go on without her the rest of my life.When Krillin had coaxed me to come along with him to fight against the Caprians, I'd agreed mainly for one reason: Seana.Now that she was cut off from my life, what more did I have to protect?

I quickly incinerated my tears with my ki power, as I screamed in rage.How could I be so stupid as to let Krillin whisk me away, without even telling her where I was going?I pounded the ground, and moved to my knees so I could punish the grass more savagely.I continued screaming, letting out all the hate and sorrow I felt for myself at the time.I suddenly wanted to destroy everything on the planet, and just get back to my life.

After a few seconds though the insanity passed, and I fell to the ground, face first.I lied there for several seconds, waiting for King Kai, Triono or Bubbles to come and see what was wrong, but they never came.

I didn't know what to do, lying there, nothing but the blood red anger running through my head.Suddenly a thought popped up.I began to retrace the steps to the Dragon Shock, which King Kai had taught me not too long before the Kaioken attack.Once I'd remembered all that, my mind wandered to when King Kai had first given me a sword."Be careful with that thing," he'd said, as he handed me the sword "You might poke someone's eye out if you aren't."I'd chuckled and then began practicing some basic strikes and blocks, which I'd been mimicking after watching Triono practice with his sword.

After that I thought of the trip down snake way, and then of meeting King Yemma at the entrance to heaven, and of fighting Phoenix back on earth… and so my mind went on a distant journey, where I would literally backtrack my way through my life.

My brain brought up virtually every clear memory I had.Everything from my death to my first Kamehameha, to my first fight with Triono, to my first meeting with Seana, all the way back to when my dad hit my mom for the first time and then ran away.I remembered it all, and then suddenly, I was done.

I'd run out of memories, out of past experiences for my mind to run over.So I laid there on the ground, thinking of nothing, hearing nothing, my body numb from the voyage through memory highway.I stared out, into nothing really, just the orange sky and the grey trail of Snake Way.

For how long I just sat there, doing nothing, I don't know, but then suddenly I realized, I wasn't sitting.I was standing straight up, walking straight towards Snake Way.I had no recollection of starting to walk, not even of walking.So you can imagine the fear I felt at not having any memory of my recent actions.

Soon though, almost instantly, the fear was replaced by another feeling, a sort of tingling in the pit of my stomach.No sooner did I realize it was there, and then it spread, shooting straight up my chest to my throat.I tried to scream in confusion, but I couldn't, the feeling had cut off my air.

I tried to stop walking and collect more air, but I couldn't, it was like I'd lost all control of my body.I just continued to trot on at a steadily pace, the feeling inching up ever higher.As I neared the spot on King Kai's planet where Snake Way would be directly ahead of me, the feeling rose ever higher, covering my eyes and forehead, before reaching a climax near my skull.

I suddenly realized what was happening.I was there, I'd reached the point I'd struggled to get to.Suddenly I stood in a directly straight line to Snake Way, I regained all of my senses and control of my body.I knew it was my only chance, so I took it before the feeling could escape me."KAIOKEN!!!"I screamed at the top of my lungs, as I concentrated all of my ki energy into my core before letting it explode around me.

The surge of energy that came was so un-expected it almost killed me.My muscles bulged, to almost twice their original size.The energy inside my body felt like it was going to burst out, ripping me to pieces.My entire body burst into red flames, and all around me, it felt like the air was alive.

I stood there, looking out on Snake Way, and just held the Kaioken attack.My muscles weren't ready for the stress though, and began to bubble, like water when it's boiling.For a split second I thought I might actually explode, as I had no idea how to disengage the Kaioken.I realized though that the simplest way was to expel my aura, as I'd done many times in the past.

With a simple push of inner ki, my flaming aura dispersed itself in every direction, and my muscles instantly began to recede, reducing back to their normal size.Once they'd completely resized, I fell to the ground, gasping for air.

King Kai came up behind me from seemingly out of nowhere, bent next to my ear and whispered, "I told you you could do it."


	23. Crono's Story (Chapter 22)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 22

Triono

_ _

Nine spots, and less than half a second to strike them all.This was the main challenge presented by the Soaring Heavens Flash.The head, the left shoulder, the right shoulder, the left side, the ride side, the sternum, the crotch, the left thigh, and the right thigh.Those were the nine spots on a body that were struck by the Soaring Heavens Flash, and were all seemingly hit at the same time.

You can imagine how it took me nearly three months to perfect the manuever; it was no easy chore to say the least.I'd spent literally hundreds of hours mastering every small nuance of the attack, and it had been well worth the effort in the end.Indeed, to be able to move by your opponent so fast not even the strongest fighters in the universe could see you, and strike your enemy in nine separate places in the single pass, only to end up behind your adversary was a huge advantage.After I conquered it, I told myself I had indeed surpassed even my own expectations of training under King Kai.

And then Cris went and learned it in under two weeks.

I wasn't really all that afraid when King Kai began teaching Cris the Soaring Heavens Flash, as I figured it would take him at least as long as it had taken me to master the technique.Once he managed to achieve the "god-speed" (the speed used to blow by your opponent) in under a week, I began to get a little anxious though.And when he learnt how to use the momentum of the sword to go in the direction he wanted, I got a little more nervous.Then one fateful afternoon, he managed to slice nine distinct cuts into the trunk of the tree, and land up un-molested on the other side.

That had been two weeks before our little encounter, and in those two weeks, Cris had managed to swing the chances of him being the one wished back quite considerably in his favour.The Soaring Heavens Flash coupled with his newfound Kaioken attack put him on a pedestal quite notably above my own.While I was still stronger than Cris, the only reason he couldn't outmatch me with Kaioken was because of the high gravity.This was the main problem I'd been having the day of our run in.

When I'd elected to stay behind on King Kai's planet and train with him, I'd envisioned beating Cris at his own game, of becoming so strong and powerful that the people earth side would have no choice but to wish me back.This was of course not the case.Cris had shown to me, once again, that he was the best at what he did for a reason.

I couldn't match up to his seemingly tireless physical workouts, or his crazed work ethic or anything else like that.Thus I'd been reduced to doing what I did best, mentally preparing for the upcoming battle.Since I'd already learnt every attack King Kai had been willing to teach me, my meditation periods were often unproductive, causing me to fall even farther behind Cris.

So I'm sure you can imagine the frustration that had been building up inside of me for almost the entire time since he'd learnt the Kaioken attack.And since I knew the wish to bring one of us back would be made within less than a month, I was beginning to get very pissed, knowing that it would almost certainly be Cris.

I waited patiently until after Cris had finished doing his morning exercises, meditating to help pass the time.Once he was done, he began heading over to the house to see if King Kai wanting anything specific of him that day.I began walking, setting an intercept course to meet him halfway to the small, grey dome of a house.

He obviously noticed me matching him stride for stride, but didn't say or do anything to point towards it.It was only when I zanzokened in front of him in an obvious attempt to block off his route did he have any type of reaction.

He stopped quickly in his tracks once I'd materialized in front of him and asked "What is it Triono?"In a tired, old mother type voice.

I had no answer, just a query in reply."Why Cris?"

He gave me a quizzical look, and slowly answered "Why what?"

"Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Why'd you agree to train with King Kai while I was still here?"

"The same reason you prompted the idea."

"Which was?"

"So we could push each other."He paused."Seems to have worked."

"For one of us at least."

"Maybe, but we're all equal against the Caprians."

"No, we're not."

He seemed kind of stunned by the quick reply, but managed to stammer out "What do you mean?"

"What do you think?I'm a Saiyan, I'm much more worthy than you.I should be the one getting wished back, but it's going to be you."

"I guess you should've thought of that before you convinced King Kai to not wish one of us back three months ago."

"It wasn't supposed to turn out this way."

"But it's the way it is.Live with it."

I shook my head."I'm not giving up, not now Cris."

"Then don't.But it won't stop me from being the one wished back.It's too late for you."

I came up with no quick response, so he took advantage of it, and began to step aside and then past me.I let him past, but I just wanted to break his neck.He just had to be so smug and confident didn't he?I hated it, I hated everything about him.I clenched my right fist and dropped my left hand to the handle of my sword.As he padded on towards King Kai's house, an anger I hadn't felt in a long time came over me.

"Cris."I said quietly, as I turned around 180 degrees to face my red-haired "friend", my hand remaining on the hilt of my sword and my back held straight up.

He stopped in his tracks, but remained with his back to me."What?"He asked without even turning his head.

My hand slowly dropped to the point where the hilt and the sheathe of the sword met, where I placed my thumb on the base of the handle of the sword."Prepare."Was all I said in reply.With that I flicked my thumb up, pushing the hilt out and making it readily available to my right hand.The resulting slit-like sound alerted Cris to my attentions, and right as I whipped out my sword and rocketed towards Cris, he lashed his head around and saw me coming at the last second.

Right as I brought my sword to his body in a side-slashing motion, he zanzokened out of the way, off to my left.I turned to him just as he reappeared, and watched as he unsheathed his sword and held it at his waist with both hands in the neutral posture King Kai had taught both of us.

"What does this do Triono?"He asked, like he didn't know already.

I replied in actions, letting the silence of words speak for itself.I dropped all my weight onto my back foot, bending both legs, and raised my sword to my shoulder. He instantly thought that I was going for the Dragon Shock, as I expected him to.Instead of zanzokening though, I just used my bent knees to shoot at amazing speeds towards Cris.

He didn't expect me to use one posture and strike with an attack designed for another posture, so I knew I had the advantage.I slashed downwards towards his shoulder as soon as I reached him.He barely managed to swivel away to avoid it, and in surprise jumped back to avoid a second attack.

When we faced up again, he was breathing deeply, his eyes were locked in on me, and I knew I already had him on the ropes.I smiled, and took in a deep breath before going after him again.This time I attacked with an upward stroke from the ground, which he replied to with an overhead smash.Our swords met with a brilliant clash of silvery metal.

After the initial contact, it was an all-out free for all.I repeatedly attacked with brute strength and quickness, while Cris tried vainly to block my constant advances, but before long I'd backed him up against the wall of the house.He tried jumping overtop of the house and onto the other side, but when he did, I quickly zanzokened in front of him and kicked him back to the ground.

When we met back on the ground, we rushed each other swords first again, meeting right next to the lone building, and locked our swords.I pushed with all my might, and I was sure Cris did the same.I began to overpower him, and right as I was beginning to press him into the ground, he easily zanzokened away and I almost fell flat on my face.

Once I recovered, I picked up his ki signature a few metres to my right.I shifted to see him, only to be greeted by the site of him holding his sword horizontally in front of his chest, and feel his ki rising.

I smiled, that was the first step of the Soaring Heavens Flash.He must've been crazy to think he could match sword technique and speed against me.I matched his position, holding the base of the sword with my right hand and the dull (back) side of the blade in my other hand.I closed my eyes and visualized the manuever, preparing my body and mind for the upcoming assault.

I concentrated all my ki energy into my legs, the focal point of the Soaring Heavens Flash.Once I'd built up the necessary strength, I opened my eyes to see Cris also prepared.I nodded, he replied in the same manner.

We shot off at exactly the same time, both executing the faster than lightning attack simultaneously.I can't really describe the moment of contact between us, because the Soaring Heavens Flash is over so quick it can't really be described, it sort of just happens.I know that I got off all my attacks; all nine points of my strike had made some sort of contact.

When I hit the ground at the exact spot Cris had been just a millisecond earlier, I performed a quick check to make sure I was still in one piece.I found that Cris hadn't even struck me once in the entire exchange, and I assumed I must've won the meeting of swords.

I turned to face the ground where I thought Cris' body would be, but found only grass.I quickly reached out with my ki and sensed Cris alive and well.I brought my eyes up and saw him standing, facing me with a puzzled look on his face.

I was instantly baffled as well.How could Cris have a Soaring Heavens Flash as quick and powerful as my own?He'd only mastered it two weeks before our fight, and yet our attacks were even enough that neither of us were injured.I realized that for that to happen, our attacks needed to happen at the exact same time, so that they cancelled each other out.I looked down at my sword in disbelief.There was no way Cris was as fast, strong or quick as I without using the Kaioken attack, I knew he hadn't used that, so there must've been some other factor.

I didn't have time to mull over what it could've possibly been though; Cris was soon at me again.This time he assailed with a wild two-handed over the shoulder attack aimed for my head.I easily brought my sword in his weapons path, and prevented any major damage from being done.Our swords were locked again, and I pushed with my single hand against Cris two-handed effort.I actually managed to shove him off me and send him sprawling to the ground, much to his surprise.

While he was down, I lunged towards him with a reckless stabbing attack.He easily rolled away from it, and I was unable to stop my momentum, so my sword was wedged into the ground Cris had vacated.I tried to wrestle it from the dirt, but before I could, Cris kicked my wrist, causing me to release my grip on the sword.

I turned to him in anger, but was greeted only by a small ki blast shot from his free hand.The impact of the blast hurled me a few feet before I met with the ground.

I easily managed to get up from the grass and dirt and turned to face Cris again.He stood calm and cool, as always, sword in hand and a grim look upon his face.I began to think of how I could either limit or get rid of Cris' sword, when suddenly, he did it for me.

He wound up his arm and then threw both sheathe and sword far away.I stared at him in amazement, wondering what could have caused him to throw away his only clear-cut advantage.Before I could comment he said "I don't want to beat you when we're not on even terms.I'm going to defeat you fair and square."I was about to point out that he had disarmed me fairly, but thought better of it.

"Alright then, let's get started."I quickly replied.He nodded, and the real battle began.

I dropped into my fighting stance, while he reverted to the one Master Roshi had taught him back on Earth.We played the waiting game, neither of us moving or hinting our intentions for at least a minute.I began to get impatient, and Cris showed no signs of attacking whatsoever.An urge to just hurl myself at him started to rise in my chest.I thought about attacking with an all out assault, but then I realized that would be playing right into his hands.He knew I'd be the one break the peace first, and he was just waiting for the opportunity to present itself.

Not this time.I quelled the feeling in my torso, and performed an open-eye meditation technique King Kai had taught me.

I don't know how long we both just stood there, patiently awaiting the other to make a move.Suddenly a flare of warning went off like wildfire in my head, and I just had to move.I quickly zanzokened, off to Cris' right.It was a good thing too; Cris had been preparing a small invisible ki blast and had hurled it at my previous location.The spot I previously occupied blew up with a small explosion, and I saw my chance.

I shot towards Cris from my new location, and lead in with a short jab aimed at his head.He managed to send the weak blow sideways, but I followed it up with a rising roundhouse kick towards his chest.He didn't see it and the strike made contact.He was sent flying backwards, and crashed into the ground a few metres away from me.

I leapt high into the air, almost out of the planets high gravity field, and then used my ki to propel me downwards towards Cris at amazing speeds.As I neared him, I stuck out my left knee towards his head.Right before I reached my target though, he rolled away and I struck the hard ground instead.

He shot off, using handsprings to reach a standing position a little ways to my left.As soon as I turned to face him, he was coming towards me, fist outstretched, a grim look on his face.I remained squatting as he rushed towards me, and right before he touched me, I literally jumped right over his head, turned in mid-air, and was facing his back within less than a second.He stood dumbfounded, while I leapt forward and drove my own fist straight into his back.

He flew forward, crashing into the house face first.A few cracks appeared in the wall, but the structure held together, lucky for King Kai.Cris began to crumple, sliding down slightly before regaining his legs.There was a bloodstain on the wall where the gray surface and his face had met.

He turned to face me, his nose broken into a disfigured position, his jaw seemingly rearranged.It was one hell of a pretty site.

He didn't give up though, I had to give him that.He raised his right hand and shot a small ki blast from it.It was aimed well enough, but moved too slow, and I easily managed to turn my hips and avoid it.When I pivoted back to track Cris, I found his fist heading straight towards my face.

I leaned back, so I could have more time to react, and managed to bring up my arms and shove away his attack.He then brought his free hand into the air and then down onto my open chest in a hammer blow.There was no way I could avoid it, so I was sent to the ground hard.The air was knocked out of me for a second, which was long enough for Cris to prepare another ki blast.

As close as we were to each other, the small blast would almost certainly prove fatal if hit.Of course I was already dead, and I couldn't really die twice, but that thought never entered my head.Instead I just clamped my legs together and then kicked him hard in his knee with both feet right as he was throwing the blast.

My attack caused his leg to buckle, his energy blast sailed aimlessly over my head, and he fell to one knee, gasping for air.

I saw another opportunity, bringing my paired legs back for another strike.This time, as his head was lower to the ground, I aimed my attack towards his face.Right as I was sending my legs towards his face though, he zanzokened away.

I flipped up from the ground and looked around for him.I picked up his ki to my left and twisted to face it.He stood there, his shoulders heaving, his lip and nose bleeding profusely, all the while a small grin on his face.He was enjoying this.

And so was I.I loved the smell of his blood, of my blood, the sounds of flesh upon flesh, the pain, the hate, the intensity, I loved it all.Maybe my Saiyan heritage was pulling through in the end, but I wasn't the only one that liked what was going on between us.

I chuckled silently to myself, and then shot straight towards Cris.He did the same, and we met at about halfway.I lead in with a hook, which he met with his own swing.After the two fists met, it was a free-for-all.We just exchanged punches and kicks in rapid succession, neither of us landing a single blow.After a few seconds, I turned on the jets, and began going all out.Cris was soon overwhelmed, and I began to land quick punches and short kicks.After almost a minute of close combat, I wound up a large punch and hit him right in the solar plexus with it.

I watched as his bloody form fell to the ground, a look of agony on his face.I hopped back, giving him some breathing room, and a chance for me to regain my air and composure.While I began taking in deep breaths, he lied on the ground, barely moving, his ki power failing quickly.I thought that perhaps he'd given up and would yield to me, but then again, this was Cris.

He sat up slowly, too slowly for my liking.When he stood tall again, I dropped back into my fighting stance, expecting him to do the same.When he didn't, I wondered if perhaps this was his way of conceding the battle to me."Is it over Cris?"I asked, not wanting to risk renewing the fight."Did you lose?"

He just looked at me blankly, spread his legs into a sort of squat position, raised his hands to his sides and yelled out "KAIOKEN!!!"

He was suddenly immersed in flames, his ki power doubled instantly, and his muscles grew in size tremendously.I stood there dumbfounded.He'd only performed the Kaioken attack under the heavy gravity twice: once when he first mastered the attack, and the other a week before the fight.Both times the stress had made the move so unbearable he couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds.I looked at him in awe, admiring the idea that he would use it in an actual fight.

While I stood there though admiring my opponent though, he wasted no time, coming at me full speed.I didn't even react as he drove his knee into my stomach and propelled me backwards.I didn't even have time to hit the ground from the attack though, he was on me, driving a fist straight into my jaw and sending me down the floor at amazing speeds.

I bounced once off the soft grass, and doubled over in pain.My jaw felt like it had been ripped off, and I'd lost all my air.Cris paid no mind to these inconveniences though, and axe-kicked me in the chest.I lied on the ground, pain going through my body like no ones business, and I could do nothing in my own defence.

Cris picked me up from the ground with one hand, his Kaioken still in effect, and repeatedly hammered me in the chest and face with his free fist.His blows were like sledge hammers on my skin, much more powerful than anything I'd ever felt before.After a while though, his grip slipped and he dropped me.He also was forced to disengage his Kaioken, as his muscles were beginning contract and expand at inhuman rates

I scurried away, a disfigured mass of blood and pain.I stood up to face him, seeing nothing but the red-haired boy I'd fought and lost too so many times.But I couldn't lose this time, everything was on the line.

We both stood, gasping for air, both wanting nothing other than to walk away and lick our wounds, both knowing that that wasn't a possibility.Every breath hurt, it felt like I had a million tons of bricks on my chest.Still I couldn't let him get the best of me, I'd have to end it right then, before he could make me show any more weakness.

I garnered up the last of my strength, and put it all into a single zanzoken.I disappeared and reappeared directly behind Cris.The human was too tired to react with any ferocity, so I took my chance.I grabbed both of his weak shoulders, brought my knees up and with all the power I could muster, drove both of my knees into the base of his spine, while pulling back my hands.

I felt his spinal cord bend and twist under the pressure, but I didn't have the time to enjoy it rightfully.My grip on his shoulders loosened, and he fell to the ground.I staggered around uncoordinated for a few seconds before dropping to one knee in order to keep my balance.

I looked up to Cris, only to find him on the ground, flat on his face, twitching uncontrollably like a dead chicken.He still had his ki, but it was so weak I barely noticed it.I put my hands by my sides to help me balance, and my left hand came upon something soft and leathery.I looked down and saw that Cris' sword lay directly beside me, still in its holder, still sharp and deadly.

I wrapped my hands around the sheathe, stood up and then withdrew the weapon.I was amazed at how light it was, far less weighty than my own sword, and I realized that was how our Soaring Heavens Flash's had matched up, King Kai had given me a heavier sword, knowing that I did poorly at physical training, and that I'd need the extra weight.

I didn't really care though, as Cris had stopped twitching, so I slowly began to walk over to his limp carcass.When I reached him, I was amazed by how much blood lay under his body, but that didn't stop me from gripping his shoulder and flipping him onto his back.

He looked up into the sky with glazed unmoving eyes, and I wretched his head so that those dead eyes could peer into my own.He stared blankly at me for a few seconds, before I was overcome with an urge to cut out his eyes and spit in the sockets (sick eh?).

I brought up my sword, and pointed the edge of the blade straight at his jugular.Right as I was about to stab it into his throat, he surprised me by saying "You love this don't you Triono?"I halted in my tracks and looked at him in amazement."You love that feeling don't you?"

"Wh..what feeling?"I said through a large lump in my throat.

"The feeling you get when you know you're stronger than your opponent.You just live for that feeling don't you Triono?"I didn't reply, I couldn't."And you must love it even more because it's me.Right?"

I didn't know what to say, except the truth "Yes.Yes Cris, I'm loving every second of this.This is how it's supposed to be, me over you."

"Then go ahead and end it, stab me already."

I brought back my blade and was about to finish him off, when he opened his mouth again."Go and do it Triono."

Those words, they struck something in me.I realized I'd heard those words before, and they held some sort of significance in my life.He said them again "Go and do it."I couldn't remember where I'd heard them before, but I knew I had.

"I told you didn't I?Now go and do it."Those exact words, that was what he said.I closed my eyes in an attempt to figure out where I'd heard them before, and when I opened them again, Cris was gone.

Everything was gone, replaced by a blackness I'd never seen before.There was a figure in Cris' place, a woman, a person who consumed my entire view.It then struck me who had spoken that phrase to me before.

I looked at my mom's beautiful face, watched as she spoke the words once again; only it was still with Cris' voice."Go and do it."It was like Cris had dubbed over my mom's voice.I tried brushing my hand over her face, but touched nothing but air.I tried again vainly to reach out and stroke the face that had cared for me for so many years, sheltered me through all the taunts, all the hatred, all the fear that had consumed my life.

"Go and do it."

I screamed.I released my sword and Cris to the ground, and stumbled away aimlessly.I didn't get far though; I was soon on the ground, bawling my eyes out.I pounded the ground in horror and pain.

My mother, it all came back to my mother eventually.There was no way to avoid what she had meant to me, and that's what I'd been trying to do.While I lied there on my stomach, crying and wallowing in my own self-pity, I heard King Kai come running out of the house.He still had his ridiculous nighttime toque like hat on, and his shirt was tousled badly.He was screaming, demanding to know what was happening.

"What the hell happened here?"He yelled at the top of his very powerful lungs."Triono, why are you such a bloody mess?"Then he spotted Cris."Oh, in the name of Kami.Cris!!!!"He cried out, as he rushed past me towards Cris.

I couldn't stop crying for the life of me, it was too late, I'd already lost.Yes, Cris had beaten me again.Maybe not physically this time, but he still found a way to beat me, to show me my fatal flaws.I could never repay Cris for what he'd done to me over the years; there were too many instances to count.

I cried for a bit more, while King Kai tried force-feeding Cris a senzu bean.After that though, I ran out of tears, out of hate.I rose up from the ground slowly, King Kai blaring questions at me, Bubbles making his little chipmunk noises incessantly, Gregory flying around like no one's business.I couldn't handle it any more, I just couldn't.A wave of nausea came over me, and I was consumed by blackness.

At least I saw my mother again.


	24. Crono's Story (Chapter 23)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 23

Yukia

I'll never forget the look on Kennards face when Yush arrived.It was sort of a mix between utter fear and disbelief.His jaw was twisted at an irregular angle, his pupils contracted smaller than peas, his eyebrows raised to about half the way to his hairline, and soon his whole face began to shake.

His facial expression perfectly reflected my interior.When I first sensed Yush's power, I was almost overcome by it's size, so much so that I almost collapsed on the spot.It was that powerful, enough to sense from all the way out in space.My breathing halted, something in my throat prevented air from travelling through.

Kennard and I both stared into each others eyes, our hearts beating rapidly, neither of us willing to move from our spots, like we were frozen in fear.I don't know how long we just stood there, in our fighting stances, staring at each other without the guts to move.

Finally he spoke up "You feel that right?"I didn't reply, I couldn't get any words out of my throat "I mean, it's not just me right?"He continued.

I swallowed the bulge in my oesophagus and managed a nod.I started breathing again, slowly at first, but soon I was hyperventilating, like I'd lost all control of my body.I looked vainly into Kennard's eyes, hoping for some sort of sanity within them.Luckily he'd regained his senses faster than I, and quickly said."Let's turn off the gravity generator, and go see Kami."

I nodded again, concentrating on slowing my breathing down to normal.He scampered away, and soon I felt the load of 80 times normal gravity being lifted off my shoulders.It felt nice actually; it'd been so long since I'd felt my normal weight.

Soon Kennard had come back to me, he grabbed my arm hastily, and spoke in a raspy voice "Come on, we got to get to Kami and see what's up with that power source."

"Right."I finally managed to squeak out.He nodded in reply, and then with a quick second of preparation, we shot off into the sky.I found it amazing how fast we moved, but I guess that was the effects of the gravity training.In fact, I felt stronger than I ever had before, like a million bucks.I could actually enjoy the bright morning sky; not having to think about the gravity crushing me in my sleep, or what attack Kennard was going to hit me with next in one of our sparring matches.

I didn't have time to appreciate the subtleties for long though, we reached Sky Palace in less than two minutes."We're here Yukia."Kennard said, stating the obvious (a knack of his).

We plopped down in the courtyard, finding Arsenia and Karnai hanging out there as well.We both sprinted over to the other two warriors, who were standing impatiently at the Palace doors, waiting for Kami.We reached them quickly, and I asked "You guys have any idea what that is?"

Karnai shook his head, and Arsenia made no motion at all.I sighed deeply, tracking the remaining members of our team as they made their way to Sky Palace.I watched as one after the other assembled in front of Kami's doors; first Nikita, then Gideon, and then finally Phoenix.I was amazed at how almost all of them had improved greatly in just four months, since we'd broken up to start our gravity training.The weakest amongst us was Nikita, but even she was at least twice as strong as before her gravity training.

We all stood in front of the magnificent palace doors, none of us uttering a word.As strong as all of our aura's were, I knew even then that the one approaching Earth was far more powerful than all of ours combined.A small shred of fear popped up in my heart, and as I began to wonder if this power was evil, another Nacran.The fear snowballed, so quickly that soon I was shaking uncontrollably.

"What's wrong Yukia?"Karnai asked in a worried voice.Instantly everyone turned to face me.

"Wha?Oh, nothing I guess."I stammered out.I tried to push the fear back down, but a seed of doubt had already been planted, and it wasn't easily uprooted.

Almost immediately as I concealed my fear, the large golden entrance slowly swung open.As usual I couldn't see inside, it was far too dark, but I did manage to make out the form of Kami, moving slowly with bereaved and uncoordinated steps.

We all held our breath as our master, our god, walked out of the darkness and into the early morning sunlight.As soon as he stepped out from under the arch of the doorframe, every ones eyes were locked onto his mouth, waiting for his lips to move and release the information we all desired.

He took his sweet time, staring out into seemingly nothing for the longest time, before taking in a deep sigh.When he didn't say anything, Gideon spoke up."Who is this Kami?"

The old namek guardian turned to look at Gideon, an almost painful expression on his face, and a dead look in his eyes."His name is Yush."There was a long pause and then he continued,"He's a Caprian.Looks like he was sent here as a follow up to Nacran's group."

My heart sank with the news, my knees grew wobbly, and I almost collapsed on the ground, catching myself at the last second.No one made any sort of sound for the longest time, each of us absorbing the grave news in his or her own way.I looked around, studying my friends in the faint hope one of them would have a glimmer of confidence in their faces.

I came up empty of course.Nikita was staring into the ground, shaking her head.Arsenia had his fists clenched tightly by his sides, some sort of rage swelling up inside him.Kennard and Phoenix seemed shocked; their mouths hung open, their eyes wide and their bodies rocking back and forth slowly.Gideon had turned away, his shoulders rocking ever so slightly, his ki power falling dramatically with every second.Karnai remained staring at Kami, a grim look on his face.Right as my eyes fell on him, he spoke"Why didn't you see this coming Kami?"

With the exception of Gideon, we all turned to face Kami.The two Nameks stared intently into each other's eyes.I caught a sight of a small tear running down Kami's cheek as he replied in a choked and soft voice "I didn't look." He blinked slowly as more tears came pouring out of his eyes."I… I just didn't look."

I'd never seen Kami, or for that matter any Namek, ever cry, and the effect of the sight was more than slightly backbreaking.Ever since I was a child, Kami had been the vision of hope and light in my life, and to see him break down like that was disheartening to say the least.

I swallowed back a few of my own tears and took another glance at my friends.They seemed defeated already, like somehow we'd give up without a fight.I couldn't let that happen, to let them give in like that, so I took it upon myself to give them some sort of hope."Well there's no fucking way we're just going to let them come in here and take the damn dragon balls right?"Everyone turned to me in amazement, but I remained focused on Kami."How long do we have before they land on Earth?"I asked him brazenly.

"Uh, I think just a little under an hour."He stammered out.

"Alright."I thought for a split second before continuing."We already have five of the dragon balls.I'm guessing you sent Mr. Popo after the other two, right Kami?"He nodded quickly, and I continued, "Alright, then when he's found them all we get him to wish back Cris or Triono, and then we get ready to fight these shit-head Caprians."

It wasn't like it was an amazing plan or anything, but everyone stood in some sort of stunned silence, like their feet were made of lead.I knew we didn't have any time to waste, so I quickly asked Kami."Where are they going to land?We need an exact drop-zone so we can clear out any humans and maybe prepare a trap or something for their ship."

There was no response from any of my allies, but I could tell the message had gotten through.Their heads were held higher, their eyes were dry, and they seemed in control of the situation once again.I smiled, and turned to Kami."Let's do this."

He nodded, and so did I.With that pact made, I turned to Gideon and asked, "So what's our plan of attack?"The dark-skinned descendant of Tien may not have been the official leader of our group, but he did possess the best leadership skills, and had always wanted to take control of the situation, no matter the circumstances.It didn't hurt that he was the strongest human either.

He looked me in the eye, his face burrowed in thought.After a few seconds of silence he piped up "Well, I guess we could try and surprise attack them once they land.I mean, if they're anything like Nacran's group, they'll rely way too much on their scouters and equipment, which means all we have to do is push our power levels down and then trap them with something."

Sounded good, so I quickly nodded, and turned back to Kami.The Namek was gazing outward into the sky, seeming almost aloof of Gideon's idea.I knew he was plotting the crash course of the Caprians, so I let him do his thing, and after a few seconds asked, "So have you figured out where the drop point is yet?"

He didn't reply for a few seconds, then turned to face me and nodded."Yes, just a few kilometres north of the Western Capitol.If you guys are going to make a trap of some sort, I suggest you try and lead them away from the city.I doubt even I could get all the humans to vacate the city for any sort of extended amount of time."

The drop site sure sucked, but we had to do the best with what we were given.The locale meant we'd probably have to lead them farther north.That meant another decoy, which I didn't mind playing, just as long as the enemy wasn't a giant monkey that started clobbering my friends.

I voiced my thoughts "I guess one of us will have to lead them away from the city, and then the others will spring."

"Sounds about right."Karnai agreed."All we need is a bait." Everyone's heads slowly turned towards me, a nervous look in their eyes.I smirked, and was about to accept the shitty job, when suddenly Nikita spoke up.

"I'll do it."She said in a barely noticeable voice.All of our heads whipped in her direction, and she just stared into my eyes."I'll be the bait."Our eyes locked, penetrating into each other like drills.In the small amount of time our eyes attached I saw the past I knew she lived every night; the memories of her father, of her uncontrollable anger, of everything she hated about herself.I knew she saw the fear I tried to hide, the fear of the Caprians, of the death that would envelope me if we failed, of all the things she stood in the face of and told to "Fuck off."

We held the gaze for a few seconds before Karnai stepped between us and asked her "Are you sure Nikita, it's going to be very dangerous."

"I'm sure."Came the immediate reply.

"Alright, then let's head to the site, and get ready for them."

Everyone nodded silently, and then walked briskly to the nearest edge of Sky Palace, near The Arena.We were about to head off when I remembered something I'd meant to ask Kami.I turned around and yelled out "How many of them are there Kami?"

His reply came tentatively; I could tell he was mentally tallying them up.Finally he answered, "Ten of them I believe, including Yush."

"Alright, thanks."I replied, and with that jumped off the edge towards the huge green orb I would be fighting to protect.


	25. Crono's Story (Chapter 24)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 24

King Kai

_ _

Holding two men's lives in your hands, and choosing only one of them to be given life was not an easy task, I can guarantee you that.

Such was the decision presented to me by my old friend Dende.He'd given me two young men, and a single wish.Possibly my two most competitive and lustful students ever had been pitted against each other for four months.And in that short time I'd been forced to evaluate, judge, and grade every aspect of both of them, culminating into making this very choice.

The obvious selection was Cris, what with his mastery of Kaioken, his remarkable work ethic, his peerless martial arts skills, and his amazing smarts in battle.Still, something kept dragging me back to Triono, like there was something that I'd been forgetting when considering sending him back.I couldn't figure out what it was, yet it stayed there, nagging me like some sort of itch I couldn't scratch.

I wanted to just sit down, weigh the pros and cons on each side, and then come to a reasonable choice.Time did not permit such a decision making process, and with every second I thought about who to choose was a second that choice wouldn't be going down snake way towards Earth.

So, I decided to tell both of my trainees, and let them sway me one way or another.I told my plan to Kami over our psychic link, and he met it with a fair amount of hostility "Damnit Kai, we don't have time for this.Yush will be arriving in about fifteen minutes, and Mr. Popo has all the dragon balls ready for the wish, we just need your word, quickly."

"I can't rush this Kami, a few minutes won't really alter when one of them gets there, but it will dramatically alter the life of both of them, so you can understand how I can't rush this."

"I don't understand, doesn't Cris know Kaioken?"

"Yes."

"Well then what is there to choose?Triono may be stronger right now, but when Cris gets out of that heavy gravity, he'll be able to raise the Kaioken fairly high, right?"

"Well, yes, but there's something else, something that rises Triono to Cris' level, maybe even beyond."

"And what is that?"

"I don't know, I'll tell you when I find out."

I heard Kami sigh heavily on the other side of our telepathic conversation, then he answered "Alright, but please hurry, we'll need their help very soon."

"Alright, I promise to get one of them out there as fast as possible."I was going to end it with that, but a thought popped up in my head"Just please tell me how strong Yush is Kami."

"I've estimated his power level to be very close to a million."

I shrugged, and stared bleakly out into the orange sky."Alright, I'll contact you before thirty minutes."

"Ok.Mr. Popo and I will be waiting."

Our discussion ended, and I walked slowly over to the tree, where Triono was meditating and Cris was practicing some basic sword strokes behind the Saiyan.As I approached, Triono's eyes whipped open, he stood up and faced me.Cris also turned to face me, his face covered in beads of sweat.

I didn't speak for several seconds, just looked at both of them, my mind still clouded in doubt.Cris sensed my uneasiness, and asked, "What's wrong King Kai?"

I looked at him, stared into his innocent and forgiving eyes, and then answered."It's the Caprians."

As soon as I spoke the "C" word, they both took a step closer and asked in unison "What about them?"

"They're on Earth.It looks like they sent a small group to follow up on Nacran's discovery long before the main fleet set off."The air flew out of both of their lungs, their jaws dropped, and they stared in horror at me.

"How strong are they?"Cris managed to ask after a few seconds of silence.

"Strong."

"Strong enough to beat the Earth Warriors?"Triono questioned.

"Yes."I replied in a quiet voice.

They both stood in silence, their heads drooping slowly, not daring to look at me, much less at each other.After several awkward seconds, Cris asked, "How did they get close enough without being detected by you or Kami?"

"Kami had said that he simply forgot to look out over the nearby star-systems, too busy with his trainees or something.He and I both agreed that my main job would be to track the progress of the main fleet, so my vision never passed over the course of this new attack team."

They both nodded, content with the shitty answer."So," Triono said "the only question now is: Who gets wished back?"

Cris turned to face him slowly, and then asked in a sarcastic voice "Is there a question there?"

Triono smiled, and then answered smoothly "Hell yes there's a question."

Cris stood open-mouthed and then replied, "What are you talking about?I've mastered Kaioken.That alone should make me the one to be wished back."

"And how high do you think you'll be able to rise Kaioken on Earth?Ten times, maybe fifteen at the most?"Cris nodded in agreement, and Triono quickly replied "Then that won't put you as high as me in Oozaru form."

A revelation of sorts hit me.I realized that Oozaru had been the thing I'd been forgetting about Triono.If his tail grew back in the battle, it would put Triono seriously over Cris in power.Cris didn't understand this of course and answered back a "Wha?"

While Triono went about explaining that Oozaru would multiply his power by 10, and with that he would surpass Cris with Kaioken X 15, the thought of power levels entered my head, and I quickly rushed back to the house to get something I'd forgotten about for a while.

After a quick and frantic search, I snatched my goal, and returned to the bickering Saiyan and human with a small blue and metallic object in my hand.Triono was currently explaining to Cris how he'd been able to overpower him the last time he'd turned Oozaru, while Cris was adamantly arguing that it would be nearly impossible for his tail to grow back at that late a stage in his life.

I interrupted them with a definitive "Shut up!!!!!" at the top of my lungs.They both quickly quieted and turned to face me, a somewhat stunned look on their faces."Good.Now stand still and let me read your powers."

They both stared at me with questioning and stupefied faces.I just brought the brand new Capsule Corp. high-end scouter Krillin had brought me months previously to my right eye, and with my free hand pushed the large grey button on the side of the device.It instantly came to life; beeping and whizzing like a little kid high on sugar.The first power signature it read was the most powerful, that belonging to Triono.The numbers on the screen shot up at amazing speeds, surpassing four digits in less than a second.Soon the scouters little yellow numbers came to a stop at 7000.I multiplied that by 10, accounting for the gravity's affect on the reading, and then multiplied that by 10 again to get Triono in Oozaru form.700,000.It was good, but even at that level he wouldn't have a chance against Yush.

Rather than tell either of them, I moved onto Cris, pushing the square grey button again and gliding the scouter's tunnel of vision over the red-haired human.The scouter beeped some more, and soon the numbers were displayed right in front of me.4000.Giving Cris an Earth gravity power level of 40,000.Multiplying that by 15 put it somewhere near 600,000.Less than Triono's but a far more dependable power level to say the least.

"Triono, your power level is 70,000, and Cris, yours is 40,000."They both stood there, absorbing the information, each doing the thumbnail calculations I'd just performed.

Triono came to the conclusion first, practically shouting, "If I turn Oozaru, I'll be far more powerful than you Cris, I knew I should be the one wished back."

Cris quickly replied with, "That's a big if Triono.I mean what are the chances of your tail growing back now?"

"Pretty damn good I say.I mean, look at Goku, his tail grew back once when he was 14 too.You can't just write off that it won't happen."

"But ----" Cris continued, but by this point I'd blocked them out.The variables fighting each other in my head were far louder than Cris or Triono could ever be.I tried to figure out which of them to choose, which one of my pride-enjoys were to be given life.Both presented such strong cases, and I knew that if either of them were to be wished back, they'd be the strongest Z warrior against Yush, but I also knew that either of them alone wouldn't be strong enough to defeat Yush.If only there was a way they could go back together.Together……….

The thought hit me like a tidal wave, a giant onslaught of cosmic design.I didn't even speak a word to either of them, I just mentally engaged Kaioken, igniting my body in red flames, and shot off to the house with amazing speed, a giddy feeling in my heart.I broke down the door to the grey domed house, and immediately began a frenzied search to find the key to my plan.I knocked over my bed, the dinner table, the entire silverware cabinet, almost broke down the very walls in my hysterical hunt.

Soon I found the old chest I seeked.It seemed like a relic of times long since past, an old wooden chest with gold-plated handles, locks, and hinges.In actuality the contents inside were historical objects in themselves.I looked past the gi worn by Goku during his time with me, past the hammer King Yemma had used when he'd trained under me, past all the other things that I'd kept to remind me of the past, to the two items that held the key to victory against these group of Caprians.

I caught hold of them after only a few seconds, running my fingers gently over the smooth, curved metallic surfaces of the pair.I clasped them tightly in my hands, ripped them out of the pile of mementos and various junk residing in the chest of memories, and then sprinted out the wrecked doorframe.

Cris and Triono both watched in mild humor as I came, huffing and puffing, in front of them, an earring in either hand, and a tense look on my face.They waited patiently while I caught my breath and stood up straight.Then they asked, "Yes?"

I held up the two small, golden earrings, letting the elongated ends dangle out of my hands, creating a slight jingling sound."You know what these are?"I asked.

They both studied them, and for a second there was no reaction, then Cris sighed lightly and asked, "Are those the fusion earrings?"I nodded, and Cris was struck with a puzzled look, like he didn't understand what I meant by their presence.

"Fusion….. earrings?"Triono quizzically asked aloud.He didn't even know what they were, and his innocence somehow reminded me of Goku, of his endless purity, of everything that made Goku, Goku.Maybe it was the way they looked nearly identical, or maybe it was the virtuousness in his voice, like a young child's, but I was just reminded of Goku to a tee.

I smiled at Triono in a sort of desperate, parenting kind of way.He gave me an even stranger look, and I smiled even wider.Suddenly though Cris caught on to what I'd been planning to do."You've got to be kidding me!!!"He screamed, nearly breaking my delicate eardrums.

"I'm not kidding at all Cris, I think its come down to this."

"No way.There's no way I'd fuse with Triono, much less with the earrings."

"I hate to tell you guys, but even at either of your maxes, you'd be no match for Yush.He'd kill you, all your friends, and then he'd just pave the way for Yoorabit and his army."

"What are you guys talking about?"Triono interjected.

Cris turned to him and exclaimed, "He wants you and me to fuse together into one person, so that we'll be strong enough to defeat the Caprians on Earth."

"Hell no!!"Triono echoed Cris' thoughts.

"So you guys are saying you won't sacrifice your two bodies to save the lives of trillions of sentient beings?"I asked.

"What about our lives?"Cris wondered.

"I'm not going to lie to you two, I don't know what will happen to either of your subconscious', or your identities, or anything like that."They fell silent, absorbing the information grudgingly."But I do know that this is our only option.You guys would be signing your own death warrant if either of you went alone.That's the last thing I want to see happen to you guys, to end your lives again."

"Isn't that what your proposing though?"Cris asked.

"Your lives will be ended, but we all know that Goku and Vegeta fused with the earrings once, and they found a way to un-fuse.I'm not promising anything though."After a few more seconds of silence, I said, "It's up you though.I can't make this decision for either of you, and if you choose not to go through with this, I won't think any less of either of you."

They both bowed their heads in concentration.I couldn't imagine what thoughts, ideas, and emotions were running through their minds at that time, but I also knew we didn't have much time.My thought was confirmed when Kami's voice suddenly popped up in my head."King Kai, are you there?"

"Yes, what is it Kami?"I replied hastily, whipping my antennae towards Earth to getter a better "reception".

"They've almost landed King Kai.We need to know who to wish back, soon, like right now."

"Just a second Kami, you may actually be wishing back both of them."

"Wha---?"

"Never mind, you'll find out soon enough."

"Alright, but please tell me as soon as possible."

"I already said I would."

I waited a few more seconds, letting Cris and Triono have their final few moments of thought before I interrupted their thinking."We're sort of in a rush here guys.They need to know who to wish back to life."With that I extended both hands, palms upward, with an earring in each paw.

I studied Cris, then Triono.Neither gave any hint as to what their decision would be, and for the longest time, they both stared blankly at me and at each other.

Suddenly Cris sighed, sheathed his sword, took a few steps forward, and reached out to take the earring from my left hand.He picked it up slowly, hands shaking, and then clasped it tightly onto his right ear.

All eyes turned to Triono.The Saiyan looked into the sky, at Cris, and then finally at me.For the split second his eyes and mine locked, I saw the pure innocence once again.Then he stepped forward and snapped up the remaining earring.

I backed off as Cris and Triono took a few tentative steps away from each other.Each of their faces remained amazingly focused on the other, in a level of concentration no pair of lovers could match.

Triono closed his eyes one final time, scrunched his mouth together, and began to cry.Then in one fluid motion, he brought the earring up to his left ear, and clipped it securely on.

The sky suddenly turned dark purple, like on a planet when the dragon balls were being used, and two flashes of lightning sprung forth from the sky.One beam hit Triono, and the other Cris.The blasts seemingly shoved them together, until they crashed into each other at suicidal speeds.When their bodies met, there was a blinding flash of light, and I was forced to turn away.

From their meeting point, sounds like that of an intergalactic battle spread forth, so loud the very ground vibrated strongly.After a few seconds the light seemed to dissipate, and the sounds gently receded to bearable levels.I turned back, and was greeted by the sight of a cloud of dust and flying dirt, not to mention a bright white light pulsating from some sort of centre, in the eye of the storm.

I waited, and for what seemed like an eternity, there was nothing.Then the wind, which normally didn't exist on my planet, picked up, and the dust was blown away.In its place stood the source of the light.

It was tall, at least over six feet, with wide shoulders, long legs, and high, spiky red hair.Its back was facing me, and all I saw was the green tunic and yellow scarf it wore on its torso and neck.The sounds disappeared, and then there was utter silence for several seconds.

Then, the figure spoke in a deep, rough voice "Tell them to wish back," at that the being lashed its head around to half-face me, its hair bouncing, its earrings jingling, and finished "Crono." 


	26. Crono's Story (Chapter 25)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 25

Kennard

_ _

The sky was black, bordered with a dark green and blocking out any chance of sunlight spreading itself over us.The wish was being made, that much was certain, but the only part we didn't know was:Who was getting wished back?

When we'd flown off of Sky Palace, Kami had no idea who was to be wished back, and neither did the rest of us.Now, almost half an hour earlier, the wish had been made, and still we had no clue who'd be coming to aid us.Whoever it was, their help would be greatly appreciated.

So we stood there, just behind a small group of rocks and boulders, the lights of the Western Capitol glimmering dully in the darkness.Nikita was the only one out in the opening in front of the rocks, all alone in the giant open field Kami had designated as the drop point of the Caprians.

I could feel the spaceship of the Caprians grow nearer every second, and with every passing moment, the giddiness I felt in my stomach grew larger.I was never nervous going into a fight, I'd been in too many for that, but I always got butterflies in my stomach, there was just nothing I could do about that.

As we waited we all concentrated on pushing down our power levels, to such a level that the scouters the Caprians possessed wouldn't pick us up.We were doing a good job actually, if I hadn't been right there with everyone, I probably wouldn't have been able to pick us up.Still, the feeling grew.

"Nervous?"Arsenia asked.

I wasn't looking at him, so I didn't know he was speaking to me until I looked him in the eye "Uh, not really."I stammered out.

"Good.There's no place for that here, not now."

I nodded, and Gideon interrupted both of us."Shaddup guys, they're here."Everyone turned to face him, and he pointed straight up towards the dark sky.We all looked up, and we all saw a bright yellow streak race across the sky, starting off in the south, and gradually moving towards our position.We all stood up, and turned to face the approaching menace.The feeling in my stomach was shattered, replaced with a feeling of anticipation and even a little pleasure.

Almost as soon as we'd turned to look out into the sky, the black wall that'd consumed the heavens faded away, the wish had been made.No sooner did the sky colour return to the normal blue though, then it was set aflame by the crashing spaceship.It was on us in less than a second, rocketing in a brilliant blaze of blue, red and orange flame.

The ship connected with the ground just a few hundred metres away from where Nikita was standing.The impact rocked the ground with such force I was almost blown off my feet by the impact.I managed to keep my footing throughout the crash, and protect my ears from the bang from the collision.A wave of dirt, grass and rock was hurled violently from the epicentre of the crash.Luckily the rocks we hid behind blocked out most of the debris, but dust had saturated the air, invading my eyes and causing them to water.I brought my hands up to protect my face, but was mainly unsuccessful.I wanted to just make an explosion of ki to destroy all the dust near me, but that would give away our position, so I restrained myself and took it like a man.

After a few seconds, the filth and various other items settled back to the ground, the shaking stopped, and we all fell dead silent.We all backed up against the nearest rock formation with the least possible sound emitted.No one dared move a muscle.We weren't really scared (I wasn't anyways), just excited by the task ahead of us.I guess that's why Kami and Krillin had chosen us; we weren't scared by new challenges, just thrilled by them.

Karnai was on my right, and Gideon on my left.Both of them seemed calm and relaxed, in fact Gideon even offered me a weak smile to lift my spirits.I tried returning the favour, but just couldn't manage it, too tense I guess.The only sound that could be heard was the light breathing of the two beings beside me.

We waited for almost two minutes, just standing frozen in place against the rock, no one moving or speaking in the slightest.Gideon broke the silence, bending over to me and whispering, "Kennard, I need you to climb up the rock and take a peek at what they're doing."

I nodded, took in a deep breath, turned around and began climbing the rock ever so slowly.It took me a few seconds, but I reached the top without a sound.When I scampered onto the upwards-sloping top, I remained flat against the ground and crawled slowly to the edge.Once I'd arrived at it, I slowly pushed my eyes above the rim of the rock and peered out into the open field beyond.

The first sight that caught my eye was the spaceship.It looked to be over 500 metres long, and at least 100 metres tall, like a miniature skyscraper.It was designed in the basic oval shape reminiscent of the old Freeza empire flagships.It was capped with a small, silvery dome at the summit of the ship, which I assumed was the bridge or main viewing area.There were no clear exit areas or doors, or any open spaces yet, which meant they hadn't left the ship.

As big as the ship was though, the crater it had created was even larger.The impact had made an incision in the Earth at least 400 metres deep, with a diameter of a kilometre and a half.Parts of the crater and the ground surrounding it were in flames, giving off a less than pleasant smell I could whiff from nearly half a kilometre away.

After surveying the actual ship, I looked around for Nikita.She was pushing his power signature down like the rest of us, but not to the extent I couldn't pick her up.She was standing just a few feet from the border of the crater, covered in soot, dirt and dust thick enough to make her blonde hair dark brown.She looked like a little kid who'd been playing in the mud for a few hours, it was actually quite humorous, but I didn't have time to enjoy the absurdity of the situation.

Nikita and I both waited patiently, staring at the huge round object in anticipation.Nothing on the ship moved for the longest time, like it had been derelict for hundreds of years, so I was about to crawl back down the rock and report to Gideon.Suddenly though, there was a huge blast of steam out of one of the vents I hadn't seen on the side of the ship facing Nikita.Then a crack appeared near the base of the ship, and I realized it was a hatch, slowly opening up.After five seconds the door opened completely, revealing nothing but a cloaking blackness inside the ship.

The lack of light within the ship didn't prevent me from sensing the beings within though.I felt ten of the Caprian beings residing just behind the blanket of black.I squinted tightly, zeroing in on the open doorframe, just waiting for them to make an appearance.They didn't disappoint either.

Out stepped the first of the Caprians, a tall, red-skinned individual with long blue hair, sort of like Jeice from the old Ginyu Squad, except taller.He wore a new brand of armor unlike Nacran's group had.It followed more of the Freeza style armor; a black base, with yellow "ribs" spread across the torso and kneepads, and basically a thick black cloth everywhere else.Contrasting heavily with the red skin of the individual it gave him an almost comic look.He had a green tinted scouter on his left eye, which was displaying numbers in some foreign language, most likely Nikita's power level.

The Caprian took a few slow, definite steps forward, slowly surveying the landscape for a few seconds before coming across Nikita and locking his eyes on her.Once he'd cleared the door sufficiently, another figure stepped out.This one was the exact opposite of the first.Instead of red skin and blue hair, it possessed almost transparent blue skin and a ruby red mane.It was slightly shorter than the first, but most likely they were related, they had very similar looks, and identical clothing.The second ones face was slightly thinner and its chest was much larger, so I assumed it to be female.The pair slowly took position next to the door, one on each side, their eyes fixated on Nikita throughout.Once they'd planted themselves next to the door the third being came out.

This one was far more imposing than the other two, which was quite a feat.It was far more humanoid than the other two, with lightly tanned skin, spiked blonde hair, and a build that went far beyond any of the Z warriors'.He must've been at least 8 feet tall, shoulders a metre across, and a huge head that looked the size of my torso.His sleeves were cut off just below the shoulder, showing off his tree-trunk arms. His legs seemed so big they had to rub against each other every second he walked.His power was nothing to mess with either; by my account he was the strongest being so far.He moved much more quickly than the previous two, almost jogging a few metres ahead of the door and pressing his blue scouter in order to get a reading on Nikita.

As soon as he exited, four other creatures sprinted out of the darkness of the ship and into the bright morning sun.All four of the beings looked remarkably similar, and then I realized they were Kalandrilians, a sort of insect/reptilian race.They had elongated craniums with small pink dots on their teal skin, armor identical to the first two beings, and three fingers and toes on each appendage.The Kalandrilians had previously been some of the front-line grunts of Freeza's army, and when Yoorabit came to power later, they jumped ship and became grunts of the Caprian army.

The four of them took up defensive stances behind the gigantic third entity.None of them seemed to take notice of Nikita at all; they were far more preoccupied with the surrounding landscape, like they somehow knew we were planning an ambush.It was when I saw this I realized how smoothly they all moved.It was like a well-greased engine, running in complete perfection without a single word.Compared to these guys our group looked like a bunch of schoolyard bullies.

I chuckled, but was soon cut off as another being peered its ugly head out of the spaceship.This one had obviously seen its share of battles.He was obviously of the same race as the huge warrior as he had the same size and facial definitions; but you could tell just by appearance this guy had had several near-death experiences.His face was scarred badly, with what seemed like fire burns permanently etched into his skin.His armor (obvious mementos) were nearly torn to shreds, and seemed to belong to a much older model, almost before the Freeza empire.He walked with a slight limp, and you could almost feel the pain he felt with each step, it was shown in full detail on his face.

This one gimped over behind the four Kalandrilians, looking out into the sky.I could still sense two more power levels inside the ship, so I didn't bother to report to Gideon yet.After a seemingly eternal wait, the last two beings stepped out of the ship.

The first one was the only true Caprian of the group.His skin was purple, his head large with the telltale two horns of the Caprians.He looked nearly identical to the (second) most notorious Caprian, the old Captain Ginyu.His armor clashed with his skin just so it gave him a dark and menacing look.His face was set grimly, like he was permanently grieving a loved ones death.After he stepped out of the way the final person inside the ship came out.

As soon as I laid eyes on him, a strange feeling of nostalgia hit me, like I'd seen him somewhere before.It took me a few seconds before I realized whom it was.Zarbon.The right hand man of Freeza for countless years had been seemingly re-incarnated.This last being looked exactly like Zarbon, facial features, build, everything I remembered about Zarbon from my time in the Room of Spirit and Time was matched by this last person, right down to the jewellery and armor.I stared in awe at the most recent addition of the group, unable to tear my eyes away.Soon though, his aura overpowered me, and I realized that this man must've been Yush, the one Kami spoke of.

I found it kind of humorous that there was only one true Caprian in the entire group, and yet we referred to their army as "The Caprians."I guess Yoorabit was that powerful, so much so that every other species was fearful of his power, I really didn't want to meet him.

I told myself to get off that rock and tell Gideon what I'd seen, but something held me in place, something that didn't want me to leave just yet.My eyes drifted to Nikita, who was staring down the huge warrior that stood in the front.Yush walked up slowly beside the gigantic mass of muscle and whispered something into his ear.The big one pushed the side button on his scouter a few times and Yush backed off to behind the four Kalandrilians.

When the power reading came out on Nikita the large one laughed loudly and chuckled out in a deep, roaring voice, "100.That's all its at Captain Yush, a pathetic 100."

I watched with interest what Yush's response would be.It came a few seconds later."Who's our weakest man Blanka?"

I stored the name of the big one away for future reference as he replied "Private Diamond."Yush just nodded in some sort of signal.Blanka bellowed "Diamond, step forward."

One of the small Kalandrilians approached Blanka and shouted, "Yes sir!"

Blanka just nodded off in Nikita's direction and said quietly "Kill her."

A smile spread across the face of Diamond, and I thought I heard him reply "With pleasure."With that he cracked his three knuckles on each hand and slowly began approaching Nikita.I thought she would immediately fly away and force the others to follow, but instead she stood her ground as Diamond stepped nearer and nearer."This is going to be too easy."He said with a grin the size of the Western Capitol on his face.

Once he got within five feet of her, he suddenly sprang, shooting forward with lunging fist.Nikita dodged with one of the most graceful manuevers I've ever seen.As the fist and body of Diamond approached the femme fatale, she arched her back in reverse and let the fist fly over her torso and face.Diamonds momentum carried him even further, until his entire body was centred over the curved form of Nikita.Right before he regained control of his body, she flung her left leg up and planted her foot viciously into his stomach.I saw the air rush out of his body, but even I didn't have time to relish the attack.She followed it up less than a second later with a roundhouse from her previously grounded right foot.The kick landed straight on Diamonds cheek, sending the Kalandrilian flying at a hundred miles per hour into a small boulder almost straight across from me.

When his body connected with the limestone surface of the rock, it broke the top of the stone clear off, halting Diamonds flight pattern.Nikita landed back on the ground a split second after the collision with all the noise of a dead cat.Instantly all the Caprians eyes went wide with shock at Nikita's quick combination attack.I almost laughed at them for thinking that she would let her true power show so quickly.I knew Nikita was probably nearing a power level of 15,000, so that meant that Diamonds was probably near 10,000 or so.From what I could tell, all the Kalandrilians power levels were near the same, which meant they would be no problem at all.

Blanka licked his lips at the thought of the new challenge presenting itself.Yush didn't seem overly surprised; more like he knew it was coming.All the others just stared at Nikita in anger and injured pride.After a few seconds, she really blew their chops.She flipped the big bird to them in all its glory, right at Yush's face, and then she proceeded to laugh her brains out.I smiled; she was doing a good job.

Almost instantly all the Kalandrilians and the older version of Blanka shot off after Nikita, as did the red skinned (male) of the pair of twins.Nikita just crouched and as all the Caprians reached her, she shot off in a blast of white ki.The five that had gone after her all crashed into the ground she'd previously occupied, causing a huge explosion and a new crater to be formed.Nikita sailed away at her fastest speed, but it wasn't nearly fast enough.

The "real" Caprian zanzokened out of view almost as soon as his associates had failed in catching Nikita.He reappeared directly in front of the female warrior before she'd even covered a hundred metres.She was forced to stop in her tracks, and vainly flung a fist straight at the Caprians face.He easily caught it in his left hand, and with his free one punched Nikita extremely hard in the stomach.She retracted her outstretched arm, and coughed up a small amount of blood.The Caprian was unfeeling though, and brought both his hands up and then down on Nikita's head.The blow propelled her down to the grass below at a suicidal rate.She clashed with the ground in a violent cloud of dust and blood.

When the smoke cleared she was lying unconscious, her clothes torn, her mouth covered in blood and her ki signature faint.The Caprian remained high above her, his hand extended palm-forward, a small energy blast forming in his hand.My heart tensed up, and then shot up into my throat.I couldn't scream out to get his attention, so I did the next best thing.

I think I incinerated the rock I'd been resting on with my ki as I shot away from my starting point towards the Caprian.He caught sight of me right before I was upon him, but he was far too surprised to protect himself.With all the speed I'd built up and the strength I threw into the attack, the fist I struck the Caprian with was possibly the most powerful attack I performed that day.It connected with the right side of his jaw with such impact the sound echoed for several seconds.He must've been thrown a good kilometre and a half before his body made contact with a slanting rock face that shattered apart with the collision.

I quickly dropped down next to Nikita to make sure she was all right, but I didn't have any time to check, all the baddies who'd first attacked Nikita were now zeroing in on me.I dropped into my fighting stance in preparation, and I caught Gideon and the rest flying full speed towards me out of the corner of my eye.I realized that I'd just given up any chance of a sneak-attack, but if given the choice, I would've done the exact same thing.There was no way I was going to let Nikita get killed, not now, not when everyone needed one another the most.

So as the approaching onslaught came nearer, a feeling of eerie calmness swept over me, and I knew I would be prepared for anything these damn Caprians would bring.


	27. Crono's Story (Chapter 26)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 26

Arsenia

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I'd rushed head-first into a lot of things in my life, some with good consequences, some with bad, but I thought Kami had changed my patterns, taught me how to control myself.Then I reverted back to the old days when I sprinted over to Kennard and Nikita with the others.It felt good really, giving me a kind of adrenaline rush I hadn't had in a long time.

Luckily the Caprians hadn't been prepared for the five of us to all come out at once, and fell back in surprise as we all crowded around the downed Nikita and the stunned Kennard.I made sure to face in the direction of the one Kennard had knocked senseless, didn't need a pissed off Caprian to go unnoticed.Luckily I could sense him still trying to figure out what happened, so I managed to make out the conversation Gideon and the really big were having.Gideon was speaking at the time I began listening in "Back the hell up damnit, don't start something you're not ready for."

I heard the other guy laugh deeply, and I turned to look at him.When he managed to stop hooting, he replied, "Don't make me laugh.How long did you plan on hiding there in the rocks, like cowards?"

"As long as it took for you to make a fatal mistake." Came Gideon's quick reply.

"Ah, they admit to their own cowardice, what morons."Was the quip from the other apparent commander.

I couldn't let something like that go un-contested, so I cut off Gideon and yelled back "Who's the fucking cowards here you piece of shit?"I could feel my blood beginning to boil, so I kept going "You're the ones that would kill a warrior that's obviously not near you power wise."I screamed as I pointed towards the body of Nikita.

"I see they have a mouthy one in the group."The big one looked me straight in the eye, and I made sure to give him a glare he'd remember.Suddenly though he started laughing, mocking me in the crudest way possible.I clenched my fist and bit my lip in order to restrain myself from going over to try and kill the stupid bitch.After a few seconds he regained control of himself and yelled out "We'll set you straight yet, son", I thought the "son" was pushing it a little, even for him "You just wait."

"Maybe it will be us that sets you straight."I replied, half-calmly.

"I highly doubt it."Then he turned to one of the Kalandrilians and said, "Power levels please Eagel."

The shortest of the insect-like beings pushed the large button on his scouter and began to read out power levels.Since I was pissed off, mine was rising the fastest and consequently was the first one read."The feisty one is at 60,000 and rising slightly."After reading mine, he moved slowly over to Gideon, "The black guy is at 82,000 and…." Before he could move onto any others, his scouter exploded on his face in a bright flash of light.I traced the ki blast that had destroyed the device to its source, and found Karnai, his hand outstretched and his palm smoking, a grim look on his face.

"That shit ends now."Was all the Namek warrior said.I smiled, barely containing my laughter."There will be no scouter's used in this fight."The way he said it, you just knew he meant business.

The big leader one glared through squinted eyes at Karnai and answered "Who's going to prevent us from using them, you?"Karnai just nodded, and the big one just replied "I'd love to see you try."

Now I knew Karnai well enough to know that he didn't back down from a challenge.He instantly fell into his attack position, claws extended, fangs bared fully, he actually looked quite formidable.The huge one just smiled, and began to drop down into his own fighting posture.They looked about ready to rip each other to shreds, and probably would have if the Caprian Kennard had demolished moments ago hadn't shown up all of a sudden.

He flew in on a blue streak of ki, landing just a few metres away from me.His eyes were bloodshot, a trail of blood ran down from the corners of his mouth, and he looked very pissed overall.His vision was concentrated on Kennard, and as soon as he laid eyes on the human he screamed out "Get the fuck over here so I can kick your punk ass!"

Kennard faced the Caprian right in the eye, not daring to show the fear I knew he had inside.I wouldn't let my buddy get jumped by this crazed fuck-up, but I didn't know if I was strong enough to help out any; from what I could tell, his power level must've been somewhere near 80,000, which didn't spell well for either of us.

I could tell the Caprian was about to spring, but before he did a call came out from the Caprians side of the field."Triel, get back here right now."I recognized the voice as the big one's and saw him glaring at the Caprian staring at Kennard, Triel.

Triel took a few deep breaths, released his tense muscles, and reluctantly glided off towards the group of Kalandrilians.Also the Kalandrilian Nikita had nailed flew back to join his comrades, rubbing his stomach and cursing us under his breath.I was relieved the fight had been stayed off, but the Caprians had now regrouped and were at full force, while we still were missing Nikita, not to mention whomever it was who had been wished back.That very thought reminded me that we still had no idea who was coming to help us in our struggle.I secretly hoped it would be Cris, and I'd grown to trust and respect him during our four months together, but I also wanted to see what this Triono kid was capable of.

I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and concentrated on the task at hand.The Caprians had grouped together in front of their spaceship, and were holding some sort of a meeting to plan their attack.As tempting as it was to just fire a ki blast and break up their meeting, it could only hurt our goal of holding out until aid arrived.Still, I couldn't just stand there and do nothing so I tried striking up a conversation with Yukia."Hey, Yukia."I began, waving him over.

He jogged over beside me slowly and then asked, "What's up Arsenia?"

"I was just thinking, how long will it take one of those guys to run down snake way and get here?"

"Well, it took Goku quite a while if I remember correctly, but those guys are probably way stronger than Goku was back then."He paused for a moment in concentration "I dunno though, it could be anywhere from half an hour to a day."I didn't like his guess, but I couldn't really disagree, I came up with the same kind of estimates myself.

I couldn't think of much else to say, my mind was kind of numb, so I just thanked him and went on to my own thoughts.There weren't a lot swirling around in my head, other than a nagging feeling in my spine that said we didn't stand a chance.I quelled that notion and thought instead about how I was going to rip open Triels spine and then piss on it.

Soon though the Caprians emerged from the crater, walking slowly in a straight line, shoulder to shoulder.Seven of the warriors stood tall in the line, all except Triel, Yush and the biggest guy.Each of the seven's steps were completely in unison, like they all shared one mind.It was kind of freaky if you looked at it objectively, but to me it was almost scary how they moved in complete unison.

I jumped forward, right next to Karnai, who still stood in his attack posture.Soon Yukia hopped beside me, then Kennard beside him, and soon we had formed our own, less fearsome line.Still the Caprians advanced, seemingly not noticing our own attack front.I didn't exactly like how they kept moving forward, so I decided we should attack first."We have to strike first."I whispered to Karnai.

"I know."He replied, and then pointed a finger at both the tallest Kalandrilian and the red-skinned, blue-haired alien.

Since Karnai had already decided who would be fighting two warriors, the rest of us picked a lone fighter to do combat with.Gideon was next, choosing the blue-skinned one of the twin warriors.Yukia, Kennard, and Phoenix all picked single Kalandrilians for their fight, so that left me with the older version of the giant.Even as we picked out our opponents though, the Caprian bastards just kept walking forward in perfect harmony.Karnai determined that it was time to get going, so in a fluid motion, performed the Dondopa manuever.The ground below the feet of the Caprians literally exploded in ki and flame, forcing them to break their line and sent each flying in separate directions.

While each of my friends shot after their respective preys, I locked onto my own foe, and after a few seconds flew after him at full speed.He was flying slowly towards the city, but didn't seem to actually care about the metropolis, almost like he didn't know it was there.I swooped low to the ground, under the vision of the Caprian, and shot across the green field.He was no fool though, and quickly spotted me with the help of his scouter.He twisted his torso towards me, extended his arms and fired two relatively small ki blasts from his hands.They both came rushing at me at amazing speed, but his aim was off, and both attacks struck the ground far behind me, sending up a mist of dirt and other debris.While the smoke was clearing, I took advantage of his possible wandering attention, and flew straight at him at full speed.

He didn't catch me in his line of sight until I was upon him, but somehow managed to bring up a knee and block the fist I'd directed towards his crotch.Unfortunately for me, the reckless attack left me floating directly under him, with his free leg dangerously close to my torso.To remedy the situation, I zanzokened about ten feet lower, and not a moment too soon; sure enough, he'd swept his open leg right where my head had been.I was about to fire a ki blast at him while he didn't know where I was, but he must've seen me in the corner of his eye, as he turned to face me after re-orienting himself.

We stared off for a while, and I could tell he was as anxious as I was to get it started, it was something in his eyes.We blasted off straight at each other at about the same time, both of us zeroing in on a meeting spot in mid-air.Rather than just convening with him there and duking it out though, I decided to try something.

As I was flying towards my meeting with the Caprian, I began charging up a small ki blast in my hand.I was leading in headfirst, hoping to coax him to attack me, and it worked. Right before we met, I fired my ki blast ahead of me.The old warrior never even saw it coming, but lucky for him, striking him with the attack wasn't my intention.The blast sailed wide of him, but the kickback of throwing the blast propelled my torso backwards, so my legs were sticking out in front of me, horizontally.The Caprian just kept flying forward, right into the path of my outstretched legs.He was unable to protect himself as I roundhouse kicked him in the side abdomen, and then violently in the face, hurling him upwards at unheard of speeds.

Drops of blood fell onto my face as I wrapped myself up in my own ki, and sped after him.By the time I managed to catch up to him though, he'd regained his composure and as we both sailed above the clouds, we met in a clash of fists.

For almost an entire minute, neither of us landed a single punch against the other.His blows were quick, but he generally relied more on his strength than any overwhelming speed.After noticing this, I used it to my advantage, trying to get him to over-commit on a punch that would leave him wide open to attack.After only a few exchanges more, he performed such an attack.He wound up for a huge punch at my head after we'd blocked each other's roundhouses, and as I saw it coming, I ducked.His fist whiffed by a mile, and it left his ribs so wide open I could've tickled him.I drove my left fist in with all my strength, and as the air rushed out of him, followed up the attack with my right fist driving into his cheek.He curled back from the attack, but I didn't let up, using a dynamite kick to smack his jaw once again, sending him plummeting to the ground.

I flew down, hitting the ground a few seconds before and a couple hundred metres away from him.As soon as my feet touched the ground, I rocketed towards the point where he would make contact with the earth.I timed it perfectly, arriving just before he reached the ground so I could punish him some more, but unfortunately he had other plans.He surprised me with a small ki blast he nailed me with at point blank range.

The blast hit me right in between the eyes, which luckily were closed.It whipped my neck backwards, and then the rest of my body followed.I crashed into a rock of some sort, or at least something hard as that.When I managed to get back on my feet, I was dazed and sort of confused.Luckily I managed to pick up my adversary rushing towards me with another ki blast charged up.I jumped up, maybe about five feet, but was thrown much higher by the explosion of his ki attack on the ground underneath me.I lost all sense of direction while I was in the air, and was unable to protect myself from a well-placed kick to my ribs.The air rushed out of me, replaced by a throbbing pain in my side.I began to gasp for oxygen, but my lungs felt like they were being crushed.

I began to fall gently to the ground, obviously not quickly enough for my opponent.He hit me with another blow to the back that sent me swiftly to the hard floor of rocks and sod.After a few uncomfortable moments on the ground, I pushed myself up and got to my feet hastily, searching for my challenger.

He was standing a hundred metres away, directly in front of me.His breathing was deep but smooth, his arms were crossed, and he seemed to be very calm for someone who was fighting for life or death.I faced him calmly, wiping the sweat from my brow and spitting the blood from my mouth.Off in the distance I heard the sounds of my friends battling the other Caprians, each of them fighting for the survival of the planet they called home.I was tempted to turn and see how each of them were faring, but I sensed that none of their power levels were falling, in fact a few were rising higher than any I'd ever felt before.So the man and I stared each other down, I could see the blood lust pulsating in his eyes, much the same as I could feel it brimming up inside my blood.

Anxiety was building up in my toes, and I almost shot straight after him, but he caught me off guard by saying "Please, tell me your name."I stood there, almost stunned, not knowing whether to respond or to shun the question as some sort of bizarre battle tactic.Before I could make my decision though, he continued, "So I'll know who I'm crushing the life out of."

I grinned and then answered "Arsenia.And you?"

He nodded, sighed deeply and then replied "Crafstar."As soon as he finished speaking, he shot off towards me at full speed, his teal-coloured ki blazing all around him.I matched the move, and soon both of us were heading towards each other, in a dead-on collision coarse.As we sped nearer and nearer to one another, I peered forward and our eyes connected for a split second.His eyes were those of a warrior; a pair of black dots that had witnessed both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, eyes that had witnessed its owner decimate life after life in order to achieve a goal that wasn't even his own, eyes that had seen friends and family killed by allies and enemies alike.In other words, eyes that resembled my own.

The only thing the eyes lacked were intelligence, so I decided to take advantage of it.Milliseconds before we met, I came to a complete stop and began a sharp spin.He continued flying towards me, and if he'd been just a split second quicker, I would've been at his mercy with my back to him.But he came too late and as he came near, I finished my turn and brought up my leg with all the momentum I'd built up, driving my heel right into his temple.The rotating kick threw him straight into a nearby mountain, which he broke into several large slabs of rock.I turned my entire body to face the broken rock face, and waited in silence as his ki signature roared to life and he exploded in a ball of ki energy.

After he'd incinerated the ground around him, he screamed loudly and flew after me.Once he'd reached me, he lead in with a fist that struck only ground, shattering the thin layer of earth underneath me.I jumped up and then shot away from him, wary of his growing anger.Once he realized he'd struck only ground, he engrossed himself in ki and shot after me.He continued to chase me until I slowed down slightly and he tried to strike again.Again he missed me by a long shot, hitting a small tree this time, and I shot away once again.We played this game for a few minutes; him pursuing me vainly at full speed, me staving off from death as long as possible.

After a few wild swings though, I could tell he was beginning to get tired, and that's when I decided to pounce.Instead of dodging one of his attacks, I zanzokened away from it, reappearing behind and above Crafstar.He floated there in the air, his entire head open to attack, and I tried to take advantage of it.I attempted a simple front snap kick, right before I made contact, he zanzokened out of view.I hadn't been expecting that, much less for him to dissolve into view just a foot away from my left.I was unable to defend myself as Crafstar delivered a quick punch to my jaw, which sent me falling to the ground, face-first.Right before I was planted into the ground though, I stuck my arms out and used them to stop my quickened descent, so that I was in a handstand position.Crafstar was foolish enough to come crashing after me, and I repaid him by thrusting both of my extended legs into his chest.

As soon as he was thrown away from the blow, I snapped my wrists, flying up and landing back on my feet, and turned to face Crafstar.He had his arms wrapped around his bruised chest, his armor cracked and ripped even more so than before.His face was beat red, flushed in anger and surprise.He really hadn't been expecting anything like that to come so soon out of me.I sensed a seed of fear had been planted in him, and I knew right then the fight was mine.I smiled at the revelation, and he asked through clenched teeth "What are you so happy about?"

I didn't reply, he didn't give me a chance.Instead he sprinted towards me and we engaged in a quick exchange.He was already out of breath though, and soon I'd landed several punches on his body and face.Old cuts on his face had been re-opened, and his armor was shredded to the point that his entire torso was showing.He hopped away from me, and I let him go, using the brief pause in the action to catch my breath.Through swollen lips and blackened eyes he said, "You had enough yet?"

I realized he was trying to be funny, which was almost scary.I didn't want to get to know anything about this Caprian; knowing his name was too much already, and to get a personal relationship going between us wouldn't exactly do wonders for my mental stamina later on, I knew that.Then a wave of wonder hit me, and I thought:Was winning the battle worth sacrificing my humanity?No regular human being could senselessly beat the life out of another being, even if it was a mortal enemy.Was my friends and I exempt from these rules, simply because we protected that humanity?I was confounded; suddenly unsure of the very principles I'd based my life under Kami on. I stood there, my fists clenched, waiting to continue, and possibly end the fight, but uncertain of whether or not it was right to proceed.I'd proven to both of us that I was the stronger, faster and smarter one out of the two of us, so why not just end the fight now, without either of us going through any more pain or suffering?I decided it was worth a try.I opened my mouth to offer peace and began turned my head to face him, "Crafst---" that was all I got out.A fist distributed itself straight into my nose.The bone cracked, and as I brought my hands up to shelter my snout, I could feel the blood pouring out of it.

All thoughts of salvation of life were instantly incinerated from my mind.Here I was just about to offer him salvation; and he responded with only more violence, the very thing I'd been trying to avoid.And worst of all, he was smiling, a cruel, evil, bloodstained smile.A level of anger I hadn't felt in a long, long time exploded within me.I screamed, letting the blood that had formed inside my cupped hands fall to the ground.I screamed for all I was worth, and then proceeded to go right after the moronic bastard.My first punch landed, and then my second, then my third.Every one of my blows hit their mark, some striking his face, some his body, some even his arms and legs.I just kept hitting him, not caring if I was even doing damage any more; I knew I'd already killed him.I didn't even see his face any more though; all I saw was a red haze that had swallowed up the man I'd come to know as Crafstar.It made it that much easier to hit him.

After maybe three minutes, the haze lifted.My anger subsided, and I stopped hitting him.His face was once again before me, only now it was so distorted and disfigured I didn't recognize him.It was so drenched in blood and brains that I would've picked it out as a large dead insect as opposed to a man's face.His body was still standing though, like some sort of zombie, just standing straight at me.I kicked it once for good measure, sending it crashing to the ground.He was dead, a lifeless lump of carbon based molecules, just waiting to be decomposed.But killing Crafstar wasn't enough for me; I had to desecrate his life, his very being, just to rid his form from my conscious.I charged up a small ball of ki, aimed my hand at the lifeless form of the Caprian warrior, and then destroyed the spot where it had previously laid.

The smoke cleared, and there was nothing but a small, smoking crater where his body had previously lay.I tried to take in a breath, but there was no air, only the smell of burning flesh, flesh that I had burned myself. I stared down at the grave of Crafstar, fell to my knees, and then began to vomit.After my queasiness passed, I stood up and took a few steps away.My hands were soaked in blood and shaking, my legs were wobbly and weak, and my head felt like it was about to explode.I'd done it again, I'd killed when I hadn't needed to, and again I was paying for it, like I always knew I would.I become conscious of the fact that I'd just broken the very morals and laws of life I'd tried to uphold just a few short minutes ago.This knowledge deepened my inner-pain, so much I almost cried.The image of Crafstar's body, lying there on the ground, a chunk of dead meat, spread itself across my eyes.

I tried to shove the image down into my toes, where I kept all the other images that haunted my life.There were too many there though, it was overflowing with painful memories.Instead I pushed myself to my feet, unwilling to give into the memories.I turned away from Crafstar's fissure, looking onwards to each of my friend's battles.

They had all either already won or were obviously winning.Gideon, Yukia and Phoenix had all defeated their opponents and were watching the remaining battles closely, looking for any sort of a chance to jump in and aid their brethren.Karnai was manhandling the Kalandrilian he'd been fighting, much like I'd conquered Crafstar, only with the trademark Namek ferociousness.Kennard was almost playing with his Kalandrilian, zanzokening around and pounding it time after time.After a few seconds though, the human ended it; firing a ki beam straight through the armor and mid-section of his adversary.The teal-skinned warrior fell to the ground in a heap, without an audible sound or a hint of pain, so different from Crafstar.

Karnai ended his battle quickly as well, slicing through the arm of the Kalandrilian with his claw and then kicking it savagely in the head, causing him to crash into a small hill.He didn't come back up.

All five of them grouped together just outside the crater the Caprians ship had created.I caught Yukia's eye and he yelled at me from nearly a kilometre away "Arsenia, get over here, we beat them!"

Yes, we did beat them, but at what cost?I shot off in a blaze of white ki; leaving behind the most worthy opponent I'd yet to face. 


	28. Crono's Story (Chapter 27)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 27

Phoenix

_ _

It's called "Fighter's Reflex."Some refer to it as "Fighter's Reaction" or "Warrior's Impulse", but whatever the name, it was the main staple of a good fighter.It was basically the ability to do what is needed, as an impulse, while in battle.An example would be if someone came up to you and threw a punch at your face.Most people would naturally bring their hands up, close their eyes and lean backwards quickly in a vain attempt to protect themselves.The Fighter's Reflex made a person stave off their natural human instincts and react in a way that would actually protect themselves, such as moving sideways to avoid a straight fist.Most people would never grow this reflex, but through years of training, and many punches to the head, one could grow the Fighter's Reflex.

Every one of us had, at one time or another, developed this reflex, some of us more easily than others.I knew that Karnai had the reflex naturally, being a Namek, and Gideon had seemingly been born with the instinct, probably passed on from Tien.I didn't even know of the reflex until after I arrived on Earth, and then found I too, had the natural ability.

So I was surprised as hell when I realized after our battle with the weaker Caprians that this group of warriors didn't possess the reflex.The Kalandrilian I fought, for example, would fight erratically, seemingly not knowing what to do while his fighting.I noticed that with Karnai's and Kennard's battles as well, the Caprians had no concept of the Fighter's Reflex.It seemed like their bodies were too powerful, and that it had over-ridden their mental conditioning and training, the stuff that would control the Fighter's Reflex.That was the main problem with their training; they just didn't have the mental defences to protect the training they'd first received since joining the Caprian army.

All that changed with Triel.I could tell from his swagger as he walked out, he had that certain spring in his step that only someone with the Fighter's Reflex could attain.He almost pranced out into the middle of the grassland in front of the huge crater and just stood there.He grounded himself in the field, a cool, confident face plastered onto his skull, without a worry in his purple little head.This seemingly new development of the reflex is all that prevented me from flying out there and wiping the positive looked right off his ugly mug.

Instead of doing anything rash, we all convened a few hundred metres away from Triel's position to discuss the situation.We huddled together in a small circle, and Karnai began, "Should we all just rush him?Even with Yush and that big guy ---"

"Blanka."Kennard interrupted.

"Even with Yush and Blanka," he continued, "we outnumber them pretty badly.I say we just jump him, and then after that take our chances."

Gideon retorted "If we start a free for all right now, the person we wished back won't have time to make it here and help us out."

"That's true."Karnai admitted.

"Well," Yukia piped in "I guess that means one of us has to face off in a duel against this guy."

"Yeah."Arsenia almost whispered.

"So," Kennard said, "any volunteers?"

I thought it over, but I knew this guy was out of my league.I gauged his power to be somewhere near Gideon's, and less than Karnai's.I could tell that both of them were hiding their true power though, and that Triel had no such technique to mask his full power.Of course everyone's eyes gradually drifted to Karnai, while the Namek just stared empty-headedly at the ground.I could see Arsenia open his mouth to ask Karnai if he was willing, but Gideon interrupted."I'll go."He announced silently.

We all turned to look at him, and he looked each of us in the eye.There was something in his black, hollow eyes that just lifted everyone's spirits, it always had.That was part of what made Gideon such a good leader; he brought your hopes up without doing a single thing, just gazing into your eyes."I can take him."He announced.

He rose up to his full, imposing height and looked past all of us, straight into the heart of Triel.Suddenly his eyes turned a harsher, more deadly shade of black (if that's possible), and I knew Triel was in for it.Our circle broke apart and Gideon confidently strode out, right at the Caprian.As he grew nearer, the two stared each other down, neither willing to give into the other's penetrating glare.The tension in the air built with every step Gideon took, until you just wanted to scream out at them to start the damn fight already.

Once Gideon was just a few paces away from Triel, he stopped and faced the Caprian warrior.His fists clenched, his neck craned forward slightly, and a small white mist began to slowly float up from his body.His ki began to rise dramatically, until soon it had far surpassed that of anyone else's on the battlefield.As he powered up his muscles grew slightly, his back rippling in exertion, his neck vein bulging out of its regular place, even the muscles in the back of his legs expanded slightly, until soon his usually loose gi was tightly wrapped around his body.The ki steam continued to rise, but soon his power level began to grow more leisurely, and then eventually stopped all together.His muscles reduced in size ever so slightly, but he still looked like a tightly wound ball flesh.

Triel wasn't shaken at all by this new development, like he'd known it was coming and had already accepted it as part of his fate.The purple warrior just stared at the black-skinned one, eyes fixated on nothing but his opponent.Gideon matched the Caprian's level of concentration, until both were so engrossed into each other I thought they might've been dating.

Any thought of a friendly relationship forming between the two was quickly decimated though.Triel attempted to spring on Gideon while the human's guard was down, but Gideon would have nothing of it.Triel's leading jab was easily blocked by Gideon, as was the alien's next five punches, all of which occurred in less than a second.Once the quick flurry was over, the two separated for a few seconds, and then were at it again, this time both of them throwing the blows in rapid succession.Their legs and hands moved far too quickly to track individual movements, but the blurring motion they made was sufficient enough to see if the match was tilting one way or another.The site of their engagement produced a bright white light created by the clashing of their powerful ki's.Each time one of their blows connected with the skin of the other, a "Bang" sound was emitted, so loud my brain rattled and my tail almost slipped from its place around my waist.

As the battle continued the ground underneath their feet was gradually worn away by their ki's and feet.Soon there was a small crater formed beneath their feet, their forms burrowing lower and lower into the ground with every second.Neither seemed to notice though, they just continued to trade fists and kicks at an almost alarming speed.Suddenly Gideon broke the redundant pattern of attack, defend, and attack again.He zanzokened up and away from one of the oncoming fists of Triel, appearing above and behind all of us.As we turned to see him he just floated there in the air, staring at Triel and taunting the Caprian with his fixation.

The grounded fighter caught sight of Gideon after a few seconds, and quickly shot after him, a trail of bright white ki flaring up behind him.Before he could get halfway to Gideon though, the human zanzokened right in front of Triel and caught the Caprian by surprise.Gideon easily managed to punch the amazed Triel right in the stomach.The Caprian's armor cracked, and he was hurled backwards from the blow.He clasped his stomach as he was recoiling, but instead of keeping track of his opponent, he concentrated on his injury, like he was stunned he could be hit.Gideon saw this and charged up a dynamite kick, then let Triel's jaw and his ki charged foot become well acquainted.The Caprian's neck was snapped back as Gideon followed through, flying far past Triel, almost fifty metres.Triel just lay in the air horizontally, clutching his face; his entire body almost inviting an attack.Gideon didn't disappoint, flying high above Triel and then coming down on the armor-less stomach of Triel with both knees.

While both warriors were sent to the ground, Gideon's body was firmly in place on top of Triel's and when they connected with the ground, only one of them felt the brunt of the collision.A cloud of dust and dirt went up from ground zero, and the earth rumbled slightly, forcing me to catch my balance.

When the grime floated away, Triel lay twitching in a small crater, just a few feet away from Yukia and the rest of us.Gideon was no longer atop the fallen warrior, but he was standing at the edge of the small crack Triel's body had created, looking down at the beaten and trampled Caprian.

No one made a sound or movement of any size, not Gideon, not any of the other Caprians, not even Triel.After several seconds of stillness, I began to wonder if perhaps Gideon had already won the match.If that was the case, Triel must've been far weaker than I'd previously thought.The silence continued for almost a minute, and then finally there was a stirring.

Triel's previously unmoving form began to rise up, all be it very, very slowly.Gideon just let him get up, obviously very confident in his ability to once again defeat Triel.Even as the purple-skinned warrior stood up to face Gideon, the human just stared intently at his rival; arms limp at his side, shoulders unmoving.

Triel wiped a trickle of blood from his jaw, and then suddenly shot upwards from his small crevice in the earth, straight towards Gideon, fist out-stretched.The dark form of Gideon easily dodged the wild swipe though, shooting straight into the air, ki flaring all around him.

Triel's face became over-run with his anger at not being able to even touch Gideon.He screamed out some unearthly roar and then fired a small ki blast from his hand at the airborne combatant.Right before the green blast struck, Gideon enclosed himself in a white bath of ki, and then blasted away.He circled around in the air for a few seconds, and then flew off to a small ledge of rock about a kilometre away.He appeared as only a small black dot against the golden white light of the sun.

Triel was almost shaking in fury, and I thought for sure he was going to fly over there and just start trying to kick Gideon's ass.Instead he tried a very unconventional manuever.I believe the attack he used is called a Kaiko, or something of the like.I'd never even tried using it, but I knew what its use is.It's basically just an incredibly fast moving ball of ki, travelling so near the speed of light even the most highly touted eye cannot see it. Triel shot it from his palm, and I assumed it was aimed towards Gideon, but instead it struck the small block of rock Gideon was standing on.

I saw that Gideon managed to hop up slightly to avoid the explosion caused by the invisible energy blast, but I sensed he had no idea what was going on, like he was a confused child.I knew Triel could sense this as well, and I considered jumping in and holding off the Caprian until Gideon got his wits about him again, but as it turns out, I didn't even have a chance to.

Triel suddenly blurred out of view, and when he solidified again, he was directly behind Gideon.I could tell by their gaping mouths that everyone else was as surprised as I was.To cover an entire kilometre in less than a millisecond was near impossible without a power level near 150 thousand.For Triel to do it, and even more astounding, to appear behind his opponent, was quite a sight to behold.

Unfortunately for Gideon, Triel didn't bask in his own greatness.He caught the surprised human's shoulder with his left hand and drove his right fist straight into Gideon's spine.Immediately after, he brought his right leg up and roundhouse kicked Gideon in the head.The black-skinned human crashed into a few nearby trees and bushes, the only plant life in the vicinity of the fight.Triel followed after him like a hunter that had just seen the weakness in its prey.All the thinking parts of my brain screamed for me to fly over there and help out, but my feet felt like they weighed a billion tons.

I wouldn't have ended up doing much anyways though.Right as Triel was nearing Gideon's position, a flash of white light shot out from the light batch of bushes.It impaled itself right into Triel's stomach, and I realized it was actually Gideon himself.His knee was thrust into Triel's stomach, forcing the Caprian to bend in half at the waist.Gideon didn't relent either, as soon as he followed through with his knee, he started punching Triel repeatedly in the face and head.After only a few seconds Triel's remaining armor was in shambles, his head was swollen, bruised and bloody and he looked like someone that'd seen far too many battles in his time.His body was so worn down by each of Gideon's blows the Fighter's Reflex had disappeared, replaced by fatigue, pain, and an overcome facial expression.Triel tried desperately, and unsuccessfully, to dodge each blow, and one after the other, they made contact.

Once Gideon felt he had sufficiently pummelled the fight out of the Caprian, he double axe-handed him straight towards Blanka and Yush, who stood silently at the lip of the crater near their spaceship.Triel rocketed towards the pair, and landed just feet away from the expressionless form of Blanka.

Triel was lying facedown in the dirt at Blanka's feet.His body was unmoving, but he was alive, his ki was strong enough for me to know that.Gideon slowly floated over towards the rest of us, a calm look on his face, a bloody gash across the side of his head.Once he touched down beside Kennard, all eyes turned to Blanka, Yush and the fallen Triel.

For quite a while there wasn't a whole lot to watch; Triel struggled to his smouldering hands and knees, Yush looking at nothing in particular, Blanka staring at the struggling Caprian with a disapproving, almost disappointed look on his face.In the pause in the action, another ki signature came to the forefront, and I recognized it as Nikita's.She was just a small ways behind us, and as she began to wake up, Yukia flew over and helped her to her feet.She seemed well enough, but was still a little shaken from the beating she'd taken from Triel.

Both she and Yukia slowly joined us in front of the Blanka/Triel scene.The two seemed to have created a sort of invisible link between each other.Triel had a dejected, nearly ashamed face plastered on, while Blanka seemed to treat his fallen comrade like a lowly insect of sorts, just waiting to be squashed.Their facial embrace lasted for several seconds, and then one of their faces was destroyed.

I don't know if someone else saw it coming, but I know I sure as hell didn't.The two were staring at each other for what seemed like forever, and then there was a sudden flash of bright light from Blanka's hand, and then when the smoke cleared, Triel was gone; a fiery crater where his body had been.

Not in all my wildest dreams had I even considered the execution of a fellow warrior.With one single explosion of ki, Blanka had warped my entire idea of what "Fair fighting was."Of course Prince Vegeta had, on more than one occasion, done the same thing, but there was something about that specific death sentence that had more meaning and hatred in it than any other I'd ever heard of.The bond the two had just seconds before Blanka axed his ally showed just how ruthless and cold-blooded the Caprians had been trained to be.It sent shivers down my spine.

I could feel the surprise from all the other Z Warriors as well, it had shocked us all; at least, almost all of us.Gideon was completely unmoved by the display of pure brutality.He just stared right at Blanka, if not right through him.Blanka continued to stare at the spot of Triel's execution, his face rigidly set in the form it had been before he killed his assistant.

Slowly, the hulking warrior turned to face our silent leader, and soon became fixated on Gideon's face.They're eyes locked for several seconds, as I breathed deeply, waiting to see what would happen.Once they'd finished staring each other down, Gideon heaved his shoulders up, and then rapidly brought them down again.With that he took a hesitant step forward, as did Blanka.Before Gideon got far though, Nikita hopped forward and gripped his shoulder tightly."Are you sure you want to do this?"She asked in a stern, motherly voice I never thought I'd hear from Nikita.

I didn't know if she was questioning him or just worried, but she did have a point.As strong as Gideon was, Karnai was probably a bit more powerful, and that strength would be needed against a brute like Blanka.He turned his head to face her and replied simply "Yes."She nodded and unhurriedly dropped her hand.He turned back to face Blanka and continued the trip to his foe.

They met at about the halfway point between Yush and our group, giving each other a few metres of space so as not to begin anything prematurely.They did exchange some words before beginning the battle, but they spoke so quietly I didn't pick up on it.I know Karnai heard it, what with his Namek senses and everything, but the rest of us were left out in the cold.Whatever it was they said, neither of them seemed to upset or angered, probably just something about keeping the nearby city out of the battle or something.

The fight began in earnest soon after.Gideon seemed almost irritable, a rare performance for the human warrior.He started the fight quickly with a darting punch at Blanka's head.He almost landed the blow too, but at the very last second, the Caprian zanzokened out of harms way.He reappeared directly above Gideon, but remained there for less than a blink of an eye.Before you could say "I", he'd zanzokened again, this time so he resurfaced a few metres behind the bare back of Gideon.He did it so quickly that I barely saw it, and Gideon didn't even know it'd happened until after he realized his fist hadn't connected.

Gideon whipped around to face Blanka once again.There was a hint of surprise (and maybe, just maybe, a tinting of fear as well), in his face.He dropped into his fighting stance, his breaths coming in slowly and deeply, his shoulders hauling up and down with the effort.Blanka just stood facing our delegate, a nearly blank look on his face, the smallest allusion of a smile forming at the sides of his lips.I knew Gideon, knew that even the smallest suggestion of a smile in battle would just enrage him, but this time, it did nothing.Gideon almost seemed tired, like he'd already given the fight his all, and was running on empty.It was a scary thought, that our most recognizable leader was drained, but there was something else in Gideon's face that just said, "I don't want to be here."I'd never seen it before, and it didn't seem to suit him at all.I gazed deeper into his face, hoping to find the strong, confident visage I'd known since I'd first arrived on Earth.Hard as I tried though, it just wasn't there.All I saw now was the scared, overpowered, and worried face that Blanka had given Gideon.I had no idea what was wrong, what had happened or was happening to Gideon to give him this defeated look, but I knew what would happen if it remained.

I didn't like it one bit, but I kept the personal contemplation to myself, no need to upset the others, although I'm sure some of them noticed as well.There was a short pause in the action as Gideon collected himself and Blanka prepared for the next attack.Gideon approached this strike more calmly than the previous one, faking with his right fist before diving forward with his left.Blanka didn't bite however, and easily evaded the blow, bending backwards at a 90 degree angle at his hips, as Gideon's fist cruised over the Caprian's torso.Gideon recovered before leaving himself open to attack though, and bent his arm as it hung overtop Blanka.He then brought his elbow straight down towards the stomach of the bulky warrior.Once again, I thought for sure Gideon had made contact, but once again Blanka simply zanzokened away at the last possible second.

Gideon's elbow passed harmlessly through the air, an embarrassing "Whoosh" sound emanating from the missed blow.Even as Blanka reappeared off to Gideon's right, almost right in front of our group, he remained in his off-balance position where Blanka had just been.For a while it seemed as though Gideon would remain in that pose, like he had thought "He's too damn fast. I'll just give up."Of course this was Gideon, and he was not to be taken so lightly.In less than a blink of an eye, he had lashed out his right hand, and a stream of yellow ki was pouring out of it, heading straight towards Blanka.The beam was so thick and bright it was nearly blinding.I was forced to squint, which prevented me from seeing Blanka once again zanzoken away.I knew Gideon's blast hadn't hit though when his ki beam struck a huge slab of rock about a hundred metres behind me.The resulting explosion was huge; there was a yellow sphere of excess ki energy slowly expanding from the base of the blast, there was a huge bang sound that rocked the ground, and I was nearly thrown off my feet by the clash of ki energy and lifeless soil.My tail was thrown from its position around my waist, and I had trouble keeping my balance, but the explosion soon resided into a dwindling cloud of dust, and when I was able to open my eyes fully again, they came to rest upon the scene of Gideon and Blanka facing off in the center of the large field.

I knew Gideon had thrown a lot into the huge blast, and after it had turned out useless, I'm sure he almost felt like giving up.His ki reserves were still plentiful, but he for some reason he seemed tired, like that one large discharge had drained the strength out of him.Blanka seemed as serene as ever, like he hadn't even begun the fight.It was almost scary really, how calm and tranquil he appeared, an eerie sight to say the least.

Gideon was obviously becoming concerned and restless about his in-ability to lay a hand on Blanka.He was sweating heavily, so much so his pants were damp with perspiration and his skin was glistening under the sunlight.His entire body was tense beyond belief.If I'd have dropped a pin on the ground he probably would've whipped around and killed me with a ki blast, he was so jittery.I decided to open a telepathic link between the two of us, something we'd developed right near the end of our training under Kami."Gideon."I began."Gideon, what's wrong?"

His reply was quick and almost hostile "Nothing damnit."

I was almost taken aback by the aggressive response, and was almost afraid to ask, "Gideon you look worn down out there, what the hell is happening?"

His answer was quieter and less antagonistic this time, but it still held a slight edge of hatred in it "He just caught me on an off day, that's it.Don't worry, he'll find he's met his match."He said the words, but he didn't say them with the "Gideon" authority we'd all come to associate with our black-skinned leader.It almost didn't surprise me when he attacked with another un-coordinated, easily evadable manuever.As soon as I saw him prepare his legs for the dynamite kick, I knew it wouldn't work.He couldn't touch Blanka with simple attacks; he had to outsmart the Caprian into attacking him and then striking when he least expected it.Of course me knowing that wasn't such a great help to Gideon, and I didn't want to risk interrupting him in the middle of his battle.

Once more Blanka zanzokened out of the way of Gideon's dynamite kick, re-emerging far above the human fighter.Once Gideon touched the ground, he turned around at full speed to face the huge Caprian, and screamed out "Renzoku!"He then raised his hands from their sides, and rapidly began firing huge, cylindrical ki blasts out of his palms.At least fifty of the shots came out of Gideon's hands in the first five seconds, and absolutely none of them hit their target.

Blanka easily zanzokened out of the way of the first wave of the yellow tubes of ki, rapidly disappearing and then reappearing a short distance away.Gideon's aim was far off, like he had no idea where Blanka would be appearing next.I was far less powerful than Gideon, both physically and mentally, but even I could tell where Blanka was zanzokening to each time.Gideon seemed to be flinging the ki attacks with no real care if they hit their mark, almost like he was doing a chore rather than fighting for his life, and the life of everyone else.

For two straight minutes Gideon continued to fire shot after shot madly at Blanka.The sky was turned yellow as blast after blast soared into the atmosphere, past Blanka. I don't believe a single blast ever touched him, he expertly eluded them all, sometimes using Bukujutsu to fly out of harms way, but usually zanzokening at an astounding rate.It wasn't until Gideon had expended nearly all of his power that the game of mouse and cat ended.When the human finally stopped shooting his ki attacks, his breathing was so laboured I could hear it from almost two hundred metres away.Blanka had been hovering overhead when Gideon had stopped firing, but he knew as well as I did that Gideon was now running on basically no energy; an opportunity too tempting to pass up.

He zanzokened directly in front of Gideon so quickly I didn't even have time to yell out a warning.Gideon tried vainly to raise his arms in defence, but the punch came far too fast.It landed right on Gideon's jaw, and was so powerful it whipped his head back, forcing the rest of his body to follow.He was sent flying at startling speeds straight into a small mountain about five kilometres away from his previous position.He shattered the huge stone right down the middle with his body.It collapsed onto him in a million sharp, jagged pieces of rock.

Something inside of me just snapped, and I couldn't contain the sudden urge I had to fly over to him.I surrounded myself in white ki energy, and at my highest possible speed, flew over to him.I reached him within a few seconds, and quickly tracked down his ki signature to near the edge of the crumbled pile of rocks that had buried him.I dashed to the source of the signature, and promptly saw Gideon's form on hands and knees at the border of the rocks.As I approached him I opened my mouth to see if he was all right, but before I could say a word, his hand shot up from the ground, palm exposed in a signal to "Shut-up."

I closed my trap, and watched in pain as Gideon spat up at least half a litre of blood before shakily getting to his feet.Soon Yukia and Karnai were beside me, all of us staring intently at Gideon.He didn't return any of our looks though, he just bore down on Blanka, who was still standing a good distance away, ogling our leader across the distance.

I looked back and forth between the two opponents, felt the tension building with each passing second, and then realized exactly what would happen.

Gideon stood no chance against Blanka.It was simple as that.Blanka was simply far too fast for our endeavouring hero.There was nothing Gideon could do to match the power and speed of Blanka, we just hadn't had enough time to prepare for him.I knew Karnai was more powerful, but not by enough.He too would not be strong enough to match the Caprian warrior.As soon as all this hit me, I knew almost instantly what would have to be done.

Even as Gideon exploded into a massive ball of ki and shot himself straight to Blanka, I was beginning to draw the type of energy I knew I'd need.By the time Gideon reached Blanka and was hopelessly trying to strike the Caprian with fists, I had almost completed gathering the power I required.

I watched in terror, dread and hate as Blanka began to assert his obvious full power against Gideon.He struck him in the stomach hard first, then hitting him in the jaw to send him high into the air.As he zanzokened to drop kick Gideon in the chest, I finished collecting the light energy in the palm of my hand.

I began forming it into a small ball of ki in my palm as Gideon was sent sailing from the double-legged kick from Blanka.Once Blanka had zanzokened behind Gideon's fast-moving body and planted an elbow deep into his spine, I completed the sphere, and turned directed my eyes towards it.

As soon as I gazed at it, the hairs on my arms and legs began to frizzle.Soon after my heart began pounding much faster than normal.A sort of tingling grew in my stomach, and suddenly I lost all control of my tail, as it began to thrash around violently, just waiting to be used.Every single muscle in my body told me to throw the bright ball of light energy which would perfectly simulate the full moon, but my brain had several other ideas.

The last time I had transformed, I'd killed one of the few people I'd considered a real friend.I'd cost him his life, and it was all because of my own stupidity.I'd been trying to control my Oozaru form for the entire time since Cris' death, but I couldn't learn how to control it without actually transforming, which I was far too scared to do.I had no idea how to contain the destructive urges that pulsated through my veins when I was transformed; didn't even have the slightest idea of how to direct them towards my opponent, as opposed to my ally.There was nothing inside of me to prevent me from killing Gideon or any of the others if I transformed.If I did it, I could be just as dangerous as Blanka, or even more so.I couldn't do that again; I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ended up killing one of my other friends, much less if it was possibly the one that could save our universe from destruction.

Then, in the corner of my eye, I saw Gideon.Blanka's elbow had obviously done some damage, and his body fell limp to the ground so slowly you couldn't count the seconds on your hands.I watched in dreaded wonder as his body made a small thud on the ground.Everyone rushed to him, but my concentration wandered, back to the source of his pain, of his defeat.Blanka floated above the fallen warrior, a huge smile on his face.

The saiyan inside of me exploded.I knew right then what my mission was, and with all my might and a scream to match, I hurled the ball of light from my palm into the sky.My task was to succeed where Gideon had failed, to destroy Blanka from existence, to hold on until our saviour from the heavens would arrive.The terror I held within myself from my murder of Cris was evaporated into nothingness.It was true there was no guarantee I would not kill my own partners, but I had no real choice, I could only have confidence in my own body and mind.I silently cursed myself for not having faith in my saiyan body before and then I was whole again.I watched with anticipation as the small moon I'd thrown reached its fullest height.My tail grew calm in anticipation of its long-awaited utilization. 


	29. Crono's Story (Chapter 28)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 28

Gideon

_ _

Lying on my back, the hot ground burning through my skin, the sunlight burning my eyes, I'd never felt more defeated in my life.I felt helpless, like I'd never had a real fight before in my life, and my first attempt at one had blown up in my face.As I lay there, pain consuming my body in its icy clutches, there was nothing I wanted to do except continue to lie there.I'd been defeated, utterly beaten by a foe I had no business fighting.He floated high above me, staring down into my face, boring into my mind with his small dots that served as eyes.I had no strength to rise from the ground, nor did I really want to.There was nothing to get up for, no real reason to continue living.I told myself that I couldn't give up, that I'd worked too hard to just admit defeat now, but my body had another idea all together.I felt like I'd been paralysed, and for a very scary moment, I considered the thought I had been.Blanka's elbow had been driven right into my spine, and it hurt so much I couldn't even move, but I forced myself to try and move, and to my pleasant surprise I was able to move both my arms and legs.I took little comfort in that fact however; it was soon overshadowed by my apparent imminent death.

I waited both patiently and anxiously on the ground, unwilling to do anything to protect myself, as Blanka slowly began to float down towards me.I could tell he was savouring every second of this battle, of his victory, and I wanted nothing more than to go up there and wipe the damned jovial look on his face.My body would not allow that however, so I remained in the position I was in.I took in a deep breath, waiting for the inevitable to occur.I closed my eyes, opened a telepathic link to Karnai, and began "Karnai," but before I could say anymore to my Namekian ally, there was a huge flare up of ki, like someone had just fired an incredibly powerful blast of ki.

I whipped my eyes open, and caught the small, white ball of ki streak across the sky.My eyes latched onto it through no fault of my own, and as it proceeded to soar higher and higher, my eyes tracked its path perfectly.Suddenly, as it reached an extremely high point in the heavens, it exploded.The flash was so bright I was forced to shut my eyes again and turn my head away.Once the flare-up had dissipated, I turned back to look into it.As I did so, I saw Blanka also gazing in its direction.When my eyes rested upon it, they saw a huge orb of white light floating in the sky.The ball of energy emitted a light somehow familiar, like I'd seen it a long time ago, but hadn't glimpsed it in any recent memory.Its light mesmerized my eyes, like it held some sort of majestic standing in the order of illumination.My mind screamed for me to locate its source, and I soon forced myself to tear my eyes away, and trace the ball of ki back to its starting point.

What I found was not what I had expected at all.Phoenix stood on a small piece of rock, staring directly at the energy sun he had created.His tail was not around his waist like it usually was, and he seemed to be in a somewhat transient state; almost like he was meditating.

It wasn't long before his muscles began to expand, his hair grew brown and long, and his clothes ripped themselves apart from his body.It took me several seconds to piece together what he'd done.When I finally realized it, I was both astounded and overcome with a sense of fear and foreboding.Phoenix had nearly killed me last time he'd transformed into his Oozaru form, and I was in such poor shape now I would stand no chance.I'd had no idea he'd mastered the ability to transform either, and I had an even less idea of whether or not he could control his monkey-like form.

Just as he was reaching his full height and he let out a mountain-crashing roar, a familiar ki signature rocketed itself right beside me.I turned to face the being, and found Karnai's green face blocking the light of the sun."We have to get a safe distance away."He stated, a hint of fear in his voice.

I couldn't even nod, much less get up to do what he'd proposed, and Karnai noticed as well.He bent down next to me quickly and then hooked my arm on top of his shoulder.He then stood, pulling me upwards along with him, and then we both shot off into the sky using his ki power.

Phoenix let off another gigantic scream of rage as Karnai and I flew over to where the rest of our non-saiyan group had hidden, behind a large red boulder.When we touched the ground again, he slowly and carefully placed me on the ground, on my back again.Nikita, Yukia, and even Arsenia bent over me, each of them patching up one of my wounds with pieces of their own tarnished gi.The next yell Phoenix sent out was so loud the ground rumbled beneath us and my cut ear began to bleed.Karnai had floated just above the surface of the boulder we were using as a screen in order to watch what would happen between Blanka and Phoenix.I was still immobilized on the ground, but I used my ki detection abilities to witness the fight.

Blanka, it appeared, was not the least bit scared.He was still floating about fifty metres above the ground, facing Phoenix, without the slightest hint of fear in his heart.He wasn't even using his full power, which I guessed to be around the 200 thousand power level mark.Phoenix's ki wasn't particularly that strong, but his body's power was so amazing I had trouble keeping it in perspective.The transformed saiyan took a few lumbering steps towards Blanka, covering the distance between them very, very quickly.I thought he would try to hit Blanka with a physical attack from the onset, but he surprised me by using one of his Saiko attacks, a ki beam that he shot through the mouth.

Blanka was equally surprised, but the beam was badly aimed and Blanka narrowly managed to avoid it.The blast was not useless though, as I sensed Blanka begin to raise his power level to its max, as began to realize just how strong Phoenix was.As he was doing this though, his concentration was not on the saiyan, and Phoenix took advantage of this.While Blanka continued to hover in the air, Phoenix leaped at him with his monstrous legs, and took a swipe at the Caprian with his huge paw.Blanka definitely did not see it coming, and was batted down to the ground from the blow.I felt the impact of both Blanka colliding with the ground, and the much larger one of Phoenix's Oozaru body landing back on the earth.

My three human compatriots had finished mending my sores to the best of their abilities, and the minute of rest I'd received gave me enough vigour to painfully get to my feet.Yukia aided me in doing so, gently pushing me upwards whenever my feet began to give way underneath me.Once I'd reached my full height, I asked Yukia "Would you mind hauling me up above this rock?" I pointed to the boulder we were crouched behind "I wanna see this fight go down."

He nodded and replied "Sure."I smiled in appreciation and stuck out my arm for him to grab onto.He did so and soon enveloped me in his warm ki.We floated up slowly, and when we reached the top, the form of Phoenix took up almost my entire view.He was at least half a kilometre away, but his body was so big that it cut off my view of the fallen Blanka.As soon as I began to watch the battle, Phoenix was again attacking.This time he fired another mouth blast of ki, but this one was not aimed to hit the Caprian.Blanka easily jumped above the explosion of the mouth blast, but it was too powerful to completely clear the radius of the detonation.Blanka was hurled upwards even farther by the blast, and lost control of his body.Phoenix again leapt at his flailing opponent, and once again caught him off guard, striking Blanka full-force with a closed fist.I knew the feeling of being whacked by an Oozaru form of Phoenix, and this version was much more powerful than the one I had faced.

Blanka was sent as such high speeds into the pile of rocks I had previously demolished that I couldn't even sense the motion.Phoenix bellowed in delight as he began to realize Blanka was acting as more a plaything than a real challenge.I'm not sure if the saiyan part of his mind had over-ridden the sensible, peace-loving man I'd known, but I had a feeling at least part of him was truly enjoying the beating he was delivering.He pounded forward with a few quick steps towards his prey, each one thundering the ground to waste underneath his huge paw-feet.Blanka's body lay underneath the jumble of stones I'd created from his and my fight, a painful memory of the thrashing he'd given me.The very remembrance of that fight brought a pang of shame onto my heart.I'd failed our group, and if it hadn't been for Phoenix, I would've failed the entire Earth, if not the entire universe.I knew my defeat had been my own fault, the cause of my own lack-lustre training.When I got out there, it felt like I'd already had five fights that day, and I was almost out of energy.If I'd only worked harder, I could've stood a better chance against these damned Caprians.I had no one to blame but myself, I was far too weak to deal with this group of opponents.I knew everyone else looked up to me, like I was their leader.I hadn't wanted the position, but even Krillin's last words indicated that he placed all our hopes on me; and I had failed.I had to train harder, if only so the same thing didn't happen later on.I vowed right there that if I survived that day, I would work five times harder than I'd ever worked before in my life.

With that self-promise made; I directed my attention back to the battle on hand.Phoenix was rampaging towards the downed Blanka, who was now standing and facing the oncoming saiyan.I could see through the huge gap in-between Phoenix's legs that Blanka had been beaten fairly badly.His armor was nearly non-existent, his torso and arms were covered in fresh, bleeding cuts, and his face was badly bruised.He didn't look defeated though, if anything he looked more revitalized than before.I didn't know then what he was so calm about, but Phoenix soon made it apparent.

When the giant monkey was within attacking distance of Blanka, he pounced on the Caprian's located, arms extended, like a basketball player diving for a loose ball.Right before Phoenix's huge hands clasped themselves around Blanka's bulky body, the muscle-bound warrior zanzokened out of view.Phoenix's paws caught nothing in their palms but rock and soil.The reckless dive left Phoenix on his stomach, with Blanka nowhere in view.Almost as soon as the Oozaru hit the ground though, Blanka dissolved into view once again, above and behind Phoenix, with a small, Destructo Disk like, energy attack in his hand.

I realized, as did Yukia and Karnai, what Blanka intended to do.I was still to weak to yell out, but both Yukia and Karnai's lungs were fully functional."LOOK OUT!!!"They screamed out in unison, both of their faces twisted in anticipation and fear.I'm not sure if Phoenix heard them or not, or even if he had if he would've been able to understand what they said, but right as Blanka was bringing back his arm to fling the Destructo Disk at Phoenix's tail, the gorilla took action.To Blanka it must've seemed like a tank hit him out of nowhere.The saiyans tail moved with such speed I don't think he could've dodged it even if he had seen it coming.It moved from the floor of the earth upwards, striking the floating Blanka at full speed and hurling him upwards into the air as a tangled mass of limbs and blood.

While Blanka was hurled up into the air at amazing speeds, Phoenix turned from his belly onto his butt, looking towards his neatly dispatched opponent.The huge saiyan warrior took a few seconds to catch its breath, then stood and let out a huge roar of defiance.Right as he did so Blanka regained control of his body and halted himself in the air, at least a few kilometres above the ground.

The Caprian's ki signature was faint, his ego destroyed by this beast called Phoenix, but his will was strong, and he didn't exactly look like he was going to give in.Phoenix glared at his badly injured adversary with one huge, Oozaru eye, then he bent his gargantuan legs so his knees were at a 90-degree angle.Blanka's face had a look of concern, like he didn't know what was coming, and it scared him.I don't think anyone thought Phoenix was going to do what he did, or even that he could do it.

From his crouched position, he let out a low growl from his throat, and then shot straight up.I don't know how much his body must've weighed, maybe a few thousand tonnes, but it was massive, and to jump at the very least a kilometre vertically was quite the feat.Blanka's worried face turned to one of pure fear as the huge form of Phoenix grew closer and closer with every second.When the giant monkey had reached a little over half way to Blanka, the Caprian screamed in homicidal rage and then mustered up the very last of his power.He instantly began firing huge ki blasts at Phoenix's colossal body, though they were dwarfed to the size of marbles by the saiyan.

Blanka fired round after round of purple ki from his palms, striking the un-missable frame of Phoenix with each blast.So many of the round blasts connected on the impenetrable hide of the Oozaru that soon a huge smoke cloud was formed around Phoenix.It enveloped the beast to the extent I lost sight of both him and Blanka.Finally I sensed Blanka had stopped firing and gradually the smoke faded away, revealing the sight of Phoenix still moving upwards at a rapid pace and Blanka hovering there, his body limp and useless.

The armor-less Caprian was completely helpless; far too much so to dodge Phoenix's swipe at him.It easily made contact and once again sent Blanka plummeting into the ground underneath.This time his meeting with the floor was so powerful it created a small impact crater and sent up a cloud of terrain.Phoenix lumbering figure hit the ground sometime later, creating an almost earthquake-like impact on the ground.

Phoenix made sure of his footing before letting out a huge victory roar and then turning to face the collapsed Blanka.His body was lying un-moving in the small fissure he'd created in the ground, his ki signature so faint I thought he had slipped into a coma.Phoenix studied him for a few seconds, almost contemplating whether or not to continue.I hated Blanka, I'd hated what he'd done to me, but I didn't really want to see Phoenix go overboard and kill this guy, he wasn't worth the effort.But Phoenix had already made up his mind, and Blanka was not in his future plans.He roared one final time at the downed Caprian, and then he jumped high into the air, almost as high as the previous leap.He reached the apex in about five seconds, and then on the way down, slowly angled his descent towards Blanka.

Blanka was almost right under Phoenix's foot when Yush stepped in, or rather when he zanzokened in.Phoenix had just a few more metres at the very most to go and kill Blanka when there was a huge rush of ki energy and a quite audible "whoosh" sound was emitted.Suddenly Yush was directly in front of Phoenix's torso, where previously he'd been almost a kilometre away, behind Phoenix, at the Caprian spaceship.Phoenix didn't even notice him, he moved so fast.Once he'd materialized in front of the saiyan, he delivered one single punch, and sent Phoenix flying.

Yush was perhaps a hundredth of the size of Oozaru Phoenix, and yet with one single punch, he sent the gigantic saiyan flying five hundred metres, at the very least, onto a huge mountain-sized rock.I was so stunned at the amazing display of strength I didn't even respond.I just watched in a sort of shocked horror as Phoenix's body crashed onto the mountain and shattered it apart with his huge frame.The gigantic beast let out a sort of whimper-like growl as he demolished the rock face, like he was injured dog or something.While Phoenix was sent flying onto his back, Yush slowly touched down on the ground next to Blanka, stole a quick glance at his injured comrade and then exploded into a oval of teal coloured ki.He didn't repent one second, he just fired off into the sky, straight towards Phoenix, and then when he reached the hurt Oozaru, simply drove down with all the speed he could muster into Phoenix's torso.

Phoenix sent out another whimper-like groan and then fell flatter on his spine, gasping for air to feed to his huge muscles.Yush slowly flew above Phoenix's body, coming to a halt directly above the saiyans head.He waited patiently as Phoenix recovered as much strength as he could; observing him like a scientist does his lab experiment.I'm fairly sure our monkey friend surprised the teal skinned warrior when he suddenly opened his huge jaw and let out another of his patented mouth blasts.Whether Yush expected it or not was un-consequential, as he zanzokened out of its path before it could hit him.He reappeared off to Phoenix's left, almost right beside his face; elevated just slightly above the ground.He powered up a small batch of ki in his right foot, and before anyone knew it had happened, he delivered a dynamite kick right into Phoenix's jaw.In fact he went so hard and so fast he broke right through Phoenix's gigantic cheekbone, and came out the other side of his mouth, like a bullet.

Blood instantly and profusely began pouring out of the gaping wound as Phoenix brought both of his hands up in an attempt to stop the bleeding.He flipped over to his stomach so that the blood wouldn't fall back into his throat or anything, and as soon as he did, his tail shot out into the open air.Yush was obviously not the fool Blanka had been, and before anyone could even conjugate the thought of warning Phoenix, he'd fired a small ki beam straight at the base of the saiyans brown tail.I wanted to cry out, or at least do something, anything to prevent Phoenix's demise.It all happened too quickly though, and before I could do anything, the beam had torn its way through his bushy tail, and Phoenix was already beginning to transform back into his humanoid form.

I realized that everyone had floated up to watch the fight now, and we all hovered in a row above the boulder, all our mouths opened in disbelief.Just a few seconds earlier, Phoenix had had Blanka literally under his foot, just waiting to be finished.And in four simple attacks, Yush had frayed any chances of our victory into non-existence.

Phoenix soon reverted back to his normal form, but he was unconscious, and Yush was slowly floating down to the saiyans comatose form.Karnai was the only one to take action, flying quickly above the rock and then beginning to fly towards both Yush and Phoenix.The only standing Caprian left took no chances though, and had reached Phoenix before Karnai was anywhere near the two of them.The teal-skinned fighter raised his fist above his head, covering it in electrical ki energy, staring down at the fallen saiyan; the very last of his kind.Karnai wasn't going to make it in time, and the Namek could muster up the energy to throw a ki blast at the Caprian, Yush began to bring his hand down, straight towards Phoenix.

I don't know what came first; the huge red flame that rushed towards Yush, or the huge flare of ki that came from seemingly nowhere.They seemed to me to come in complete unison, like they were one and the same.Turns out I was right, but at that moment I didn't care, my only thought was: What the hell just happened?

Before I could open my mouth to ask the question, Yush was being flung full speed along the ground, skidding, bouncing and sliding along the length of the rough terrain.Where he'd previously been standing was the flame of red, now in a somewhat spherical shape, crouched next to Phoenix.It took me a while, but I soon recognized it as a ki signature, all be it a very strange one.

Soon the ball of red energy grew upwards, and then in a sudden flash, it was dispersed, sent out into the air.Where it had previously been stood a man.He was fairly tall, with a very strange haircut, even stranger clothes, and a long, samurai type sword at his waist.He was standing at his full height, staring at Yush's skidding form and at the same time keeping a careful eye on Phoenix's body as well.The man looked kind of familiar, but I knew I'd never seen him before.Whoever he was, he was the source of the huge flare-up of ki, and was quite powerful from what I could tell.

While his torso and head still faced Yush, he extended his left hand and, using a form of ki manipulation I'd never seen before, slowly wrapped Phoenix's body in a cloak of invisible energy.Using this blanket of energy as a sort of net, he lifted Phoenix from the ground using his mind, and then began to float upwards slowly, towards Karnai, with Phoenix in tow.While he flew towards the Namek who hung in the air, stunned, he remained fixated on Yush, who was now in control of his motion and had perched himself atop a small rock, looking very pissed off.

This mysterious person slowly handed Phoenix's carcass to Karnai, who numbly accepted it in his arms.Throughout the exchange, this stranger's and Yush's eyes locked, and remained that way for quite a while.Once Karnai had Phoenix firmly in his grasp, he asked the question everyone had been dying to enquire."Who are you?"

The red/brown haired individual remained focused on Yush, but answered still."You knew me once as Cris, and as Triono.But I am neither anymore.I am Crono, and I am here to help you out."It was just as he finished this sentence that I noticed the pair of earrings he wore, they were oddly recognizable, but I couldn't tell exactly where I'd seen them before."Excuse me."He continued, floating forward slowly "I have to go win this battle now."


	30. Crono's Story (Chapter 29)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 29

Nikita

_ _

This stranger, this… mysterious new arrival, left so much to the imagination it was nearly maddening.He spoke quietly; in a shy, timid sort of way to the extent I hadn't heard his words when he spoke to Karnai. He moved with a sort of grace I'd never seen before; not snobby, not aloof, but a sort of definitive stride that inspired awe in the heart.He was obviously quite powerful; at least to the extent that he could knock a fully powered Yush over a kilometre along the ground, while a transformed saiyan could not even touch him.I didn't have a very good view of the visitor at the beginning of the battle, but I could tell from his unusual ki signature, his odd-looking green tunic and yellow bandana, and the sword swaying at his side, that this was not someone we'd wished back.

At least that's what I initially thought, but I hadn't sensed either Cris' or any other high power level come anywhere near Earth.I hadn't even sensed this new character's power until he appeared from seemingly nowhere and struck Yush head on.It begged the question: How did he hide his power level to the extent that none of us, including even Yush, picked it up before he'd arrived?If he had flown, he would've given off an at least noticeable power reading, and he had come from the air, so unless he'd booked a flight with Capsule Corp. airlines, he must've had some other mode of transportation.

I didn't really think about all that when I first saw him though, all I wondered was whether he was on our side or not.When he handed Phoenix's limp body to Phoenix, the situation was slightly cleared up, but I still found myself asking a thousand questions scurrying around inside my head, all burning their way into my mind, waiting to be answered.Who was he?Where did he come from?How did he come undetected?How strong was he?Was he simply against Yush, or with all of us?I tried to quiet my mind to the point where I could think, with little success.The man had set off an explosion of enquiries in my head, and it drove me insane that I couldn't find the answers.

So with no other course of action to really take, I just watched.I observed with a careful eye as this red-haired man floated down to the ground, still focused on Yush, and then slowly began walking toward the Caprian enemy.His steps were tentative, deliberate, and controlled.It looked like he was prepared to break stride at any moment and assume an attack posture, and if you thought about, that's probably what he was doing.After a few steps, a small, barely noticeable white mist began to steam off of him.He didn't seem to notice, but I felt a rather large increase in his power as the vapour began to intensify, until soon it was impossible to see through.Soon his feet began to give off so much power than before his foot hit the ground, the dust below it would be forced out of the way; like a blast of air had been shot at the point where his feet were touching the ground.If I were Yush, I probably would've been scared out of my armor, but the teal-skinned fighter seemed barely hazed at all, like he knew exactly what he would be facing.

Then, when the two warriors were about a hundred metres apart from each other, the red-haired fighter on our side came to a halt, and faced Yush with his whole body, looking on with an unblinking eye.As the two stared-off at one another, the tension began to mount, growing and growing until it was nearly tangible.Not a word was said between the two, not the slightest hint of communication on either's part, but the fight began at once.

Both of them zanzokened out of view at exactly the same time.There probably was a bit of a difference, but their speeds were far beyond my ability to comprehend, and I didn't pick it up.As I saw it, both of them disappeared, and then almost instantly after, there was a huge impact.I assume the two collided into each other, probably just exchanging a single blow each, but there could have been multiple attacks beyond my vision range.All I saw was a huge flash of brilliant yellow light about ten metres into the air, where the two super-powerful ki's had collided.There was a pause of about half a second, and then another huge impact of ki on ki, producing a similar sphere of expelled yellow energy, just above and to the right of the first.Then there was another of the bright flashes, and then quickly two more after that a little farther away, all within the span of a second.Almost before I could comprehend what was happening/what had happened, the two had reappeared at almost the exact same places they'd been before zanzokening away.

Both were breathing more noticeably, but neither seemed injured in the slightest, which most likely meant from the early confrontation that both of them were about equal.I took this as a good sign, as I was still having trouble gauging the full extent of the mysterious warriors power, but I could tell Yush was already at his max.Just as soon as the two had returned to their starting positions, Karnai came flying up to behind our boulder with Phoenix in his arms.

I just glanced quickly at the Namek as he set the now tail-less Phoenix on the ground and called for Arsenia to aid the injured combatant.My concentration was mainly fixed on the early goings of this battle between Yush and his foe, which I still didn't know the name of. 

As soon as I had returned my attention to the pair, the fight had restarted.Yush covered himself in a ki colour very similar to his skin-tone, and then quickly shot at the red-haired fighter along the ground.When the two met, Yush began to send a wild flurry of punches and kicks at the tunic-clad fighter.He at a pace far too quick for me to grasp; all I saw was a blur of arms, legs and the defending fighter's quickly dodging body.I could tell by the lack of any gigantic collision sounds that nary a blow of Yush's found their mark, which was almost comforting.The Caprian continued his vain assault for several seconds, constantly pushing the other fighter farther back, until Yush decided to mix it up and sent a small ki blast at the spiky-haired combatant.

The expression on the shielding man's face made it obvious he hadn't been expecting the blast, but he narrowly avoided it none the less, letting it pass over his shoulder and colliding with a small farmer's field a few kilometres away.The explosion the small ball of energy created was astounding.It shook the ground nearly as bad as the earthquake of the Western Capitol of 928.Luckily I was still hanging in the air, but several of the rocks around me began to shake and fall to the ground, while a huge sphere of surplus energy formed around the blast-point.There was so much excess energy in-fact, that it turned the sky a light shade of teal. 

Both of the battling warriors seemed content to wait until the explosion settled down, neither of them insinuating any attack.When the detonation finally died down, the fight was restarted in earnest.This time it was the red-haired warrior who was the aggressor, flying low across the ground in a way very similar to Yush's onslaught.He sent a flood of fists, feet and forehead at Yush, while moving forward and pushing the teal warrior back farther and farther.He seemed to move with even more quickness and agility then Yush, although there was no real way to tell.This assault was as fruit-less as Yush's however, as none of the amazingly fast fighter's blows hit their marks.Obviously hoping to match Yush's assault move for move, he too fired a small ki blast at the other fighter when he found his physical attacks weren't cutting it.Yush seemed more prepared than the other warrior had been, and easily hopped out of the path of the ball of ki.

This blast hit nothing but the ground, this time throwing out a gigantic red sphere of extra energy.The effect on the landform was nearly the same as Yush's blast, but rather than just giving up at that, the sworded combatant followed up with a swift roundhouse kick, which connected hard with Yush's right oblique.Since the blow landed on a wad of muscle and armor, there was little damage done, but the blow had landed none the less. The calm confidence that had been pasted onto his face was slightly tarnished, like he hadn't even thought anything like that could be fast enough to hit him.

Rather than giving Yush a chance to retaliate, the red-haired fighter hopped back, landing back on his feet about fifty feet from his opponent.Yush grunted in exertion and then quickly fell into a traditional, karate-style fighting stance.It was right as this occurred that Karnai floated up from the ground and took my shoulder in his hand, startling me slightly.

"Woa, you scared the life out of me."I said, exaggerating.

"Sorry."He apologized lack-lustrely."How's it going?"

I assumed he meant the ongoing battle between Yush and the other man, so I replied,"Good, I guess.This guy---"

"Crono."He threw in, cutting me off.

I was glad I had a name to apply to the fighter, but less glad about getting cut off.I gave the Namek a motherly glare I'd mastered warding off Yukia's advances, and then continued "Crono, is doing quite well I guess.He's at least holding his own, and may even have a bit of an advantage."

"Good."He answered back, "It seems like he's on our side, but I don't know where he came from."

"Neither do I.Any theories at least?"

"Just one."He left me hanging for a few seconds, as he seemed to study the field where Crono and Yush were facing off.He turned back to me, and proceeded "He said he was Cris, but that's impossible.He also said he was Triono, which is also quite impossible.Then I think he said he was both, which just boggles my mind."I didn't really follow, but I didn't want to halt Karnai's train of thought, so I didn't interrupt."Then I saw the earrings."

I hadn't noticed any earrings, but I had yet to see a real clear look of his face, so there was a possibility that he was partly hiding them behind his hair."What earrings?"I asked anyways, making sure my presumption was somewhat correct.

"The fusion earrings."Karnai replied, and he looked straight into my eyes.

As soon as he uttered those words, a wealth of ideas poured into my mind like a tidal wave.They were far too numerous to list, but soon one clear vision had risen up in my mind.It was the picture of Cris attaching a fusion earring to his ear, and then disappearing into a cloud of dust, to be replaced by this new character.

As soon as I'd envisioned that mental image, I knew it was the most likely scenario.Perhaps neither Cris nor his friend Triono had been strong enough to take Yush on single-handedly, and King Kai had decided to shove them into one warrior, who would stand a fighting chance against the Caprians.I couldn't determine at that specific moment if Kai's choice was a stroke of genius, or a vain attempt at salvation, but I did know the decision would probably give us at least a miniscule opportunity for victory.

It was now up to Crono, a hybrant of the two greatest warriors from another dimension, to save us from the Caprian ambush.I didn't want to take a gander at our chances, for fear I'd find we didn't have any, so instead I told Karnai my theory on what happened."Looks like Cris and Triono fused together."I said in a low, faint voice.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."He hung his head slightly as he said the words, perhaps realizing that the fusion was permanent, and the boy we'd all come to love and care for was gone now, replaced by this super-powerful fighter whose one purpose was to protect us from destruction.I didn't even realize this at the time; it didn't come to me until much later.At that specific point, my mind was numb, like I hadn't slept for several days.

Rather than continue our conversation, I turned my attention back to the ongoing battle, as Karnai did the same.Crono and Yush were still facing off slightly, but Crono had now drawn out his sword, holding it at his waist with the blade sticking out towards the Caprian fighter.Yush didn't seem at all worried in the slightest; in fact he even said, "I'm not worried about your little sword, boy.No piece of metal can pierce my skin."It was the first time Yush had spoken, and his voice somehow hit some deep chord within me.His tone was very, very familiar, but I couldn't put a finger on whose it resembled.Something inside me told me it was a voice to fear and contempt, something I should stay away from at all costs.It sounded like good advice to me, so I made sure to try and take it.

Crono didn't reply in words, he simply brought his sword up to his torso, extended both his arms and held it horizontally in front of his chest; the handle in his right hand and the blade resting in his left.Yush paid the strange posture with little interest, seeming to regard it as a foolish strike pose.He began to power up a small charge of ki in his right hand, when suddenly, Crono sprung.

I don't know how he performed the attack he did; in fact, I'm not even sure what attack he used at all.The time in between the start and end of the strike was less than a millisecond.He'd seemingly zanzokened out of view, and then reappeared behind Yush all at seemingly the same time.Somehow though, I knew he'd attacked within that barely existent time frame.My thought was confirmed when Crono calmly turned to face Yush's back and sheathed his sword, and when Yush's armor fell to pieces at his side.

Nine rather long cuts had been sewn within the white and blue armor Yush sported, all leading in a perfect enneagon at Yush's heart.Nine separate pieces of useless armor fell to the ground, followed quickly by a small river of Yush's blue and red blood.Yush's body quickly followed his armor, hitting the ground like a ton of bricks under 100 times gravity.His skin was sliced open in nine places on the front of his torso, legs and arms.The teal skin that had previously been under the armor was ripped with muscle and sinew, both of which pulsated in agony.How Crono had struck each of those spots in less than a frame of a second was beyond my ability to grasp, though I had a feeling King Kai had taught him that nifty little move.

Crono watched in mock pleasure as Yush shrivelled on the ground, clasping as many of his wounds as he could, grunting in quite clear pain and shock. If I were the fused warrior, I would've pounced on Yush right there and ended the battle, but the thought never even seemed to enter Crono's mind, like he was incapable of striking an already downed opponent.I made a mental note to break that moral of his should we survive that day; it could end up being the downfall of us in a later battle.

For the scene that was developing though, it served to only build the already substantial apprehension between the two.As Yush slowly staggered to his feet, cupping his shoulder injury with his left hand, Crono stared blankly right through the Caprian, like he was to be disregarded as an insect.Needless to say, the captain of the assault team didn't liken to Crono's glare."What the hell are you staring at?"He grunted through clenched teeth.

"Not much."Crono articulated quietly as he shook his head.

"Fuck you."Yush replied, swallowing down his obvious pain and dropping into his fighting stance.Crono bent his knees slightly, and placed a hand loosely on his sword hilt.Yush eyed the piece of weaponry for several seconds then taunted, "So you need a sword to beat me?Can't do it with your own two hands?"

Crono squinted slightly as he regarded the quip from Yush.Every fibre in my being wanted me to scream out "Don't listen to him!!" but my throat held no power to voice my opinion, and I watched in apprehension as Crono gripped his sword by the handle and then ripped the entire weapon from his belt.

He held it vertically in the air, glaring at Yush, and tantalizing the Caprian with every movement he made."Nikita!"He suddenly yelled out.To say I jumped five feet in the air would be an understatement; it was more like forty or fifty.My heart felt like it was ready to blow from out of my chest, and my head began to throb from the sudden rush of blood.

It took me a while, but I managed to reply, "A…ah, yes?"I asked tentatively, my voice and hands trembling heavily from being spoken to in the middle of this tremendous battle.

"Hold onto this for me, will you?"Crono wondered, as he bent his arm and then hurled his sword at me.It came quickly at me, but not fast enough for me to miss.I easily caught it and slowly lowered the light piece of strongly wrought metal to my side.My voice was caught in my throat again, but mentally I said "Gotcha."

"Better?"Crono asked in a deep, thorough voice, sweeping his hands outward to show he was now totally unarmed.

"Much so."Yush replied, nodding slightly, a small grin on his face.

"Good."Crono said smugly, a smile forming in the corners of his mouth as well.Suddenly he zanzokened out of sight, and resurfaced right behind Yush.The red-haired fighter leaped forward with a fist, but Yush was not to be out-matched so easily.He shifted to the right, causing Crono's fist to whiff to his left.The teal-skinned fighter brought the leg that was nearer to Crono up from the ground and swung it at the tunic-clothed warrior.

Crono zanzokened away again, appearing directly in front of Yush, and swinging another fist at the Caprian's skull.This time it was Yush's turn to zanzoken behind his opponent, who easily located the Caprian and ducked to avoid the vicious sidekick aimed at his temple.

Rather than play the zanzoken game again, Crono sprinted from the ground, using the floor like a sprinter does his starting blocks, and shot across the ground, leaving a trail of dust behind him.When he was a fair distance away, he whipped around to face Yush, who had blasted after Crono in an attempt to catch the fused fighter.Yush leaped at the hybrant's position and lead in with a ki-covered fist.Crono jumped out of the way of the attack at the last second, shooting off to the right, towards the now far-distant city.

Yush twisted to face Crono, just in time to see the new Z warrior spring off of the ground back towards the Caprian warrior.Yush didn't have time to escape the small kick Crono sent his way, so he was forced to block it with his forearm.As soon as he did so, Crono fired a series of rapid punches towards Yush.His arms moved too quickly for me to see, but Yush managed to keep up, and wasn't struck by a single blow.After maybe four seconds of attempting to reach Yush with fists, Crono zanzokened away, up and far above Yush, at least half a kilometre into the sky.

Yush craned his neck up to see Crono, quickly catching him in his line of sight.He instantly powered up with ki and shot after the hovering hybrant.Crono was not easily taken though, and zanzokened again, right in front of Yush.The Caprian hadn't seen it coming at all, and managed no defence as Crono brought his leg up and struck Yush straight in the jaw with his foot.

The teal fighter was hurled backwards by the kick, sent skidding across the sky on his back.Crono flew after him at full speed, and when the red-haired man had caught up, he fired a ki blast at Yush from above.The blast struck nothing but ground though, as the armor-less Caprian zanzokened out of the path of the surely fatal blast just in time.It blew open a small crater in the ground just a few hundred yards from my position, and sent a shower of red-coloured pieces of shrapnel flying into the air.

While the small light show called an explosion occurred on the ground, the two combatants continued to duke it out in the air.Yush had caught Crono off guard after zanzokening behind him, and was striking viciously with all kinds of physical attacks when I looked back into the sky.While Crono was the defender, he didn't seem overpowered in the slightest, and after a few seconds, it was he who was attacking Yush with his fists and feet.

Yush was suddenly hurled away from Crono by a sidekick from the hybrant warrior.The Caprian was disoriented for a split second; long enough for Crono to zanzoken behind him and deliver a punch into Yush's hard, scaly back.Yush didn't let the punch faze him though, and swung a wild kick at Crono, who easily stopped it with his right arm.As soon as the kick had been blocked, Yush seemingly bounced around in the opposite direction, doing a quick 180-degree turn, and bringing his palm into Crono's neck with a huge amount of momentum.

Crono couldn't hope to recover before Yush snap-kicked him in the stomach, and then punched the hybrant with a hook to the face.The red-haired man began to slowly fall to the earth, a small trickle of blood floating gently behind him.Yush let him descend, taking the opportunity to catch his breathe and swathe his sores.Crono wasn't out of the action long though, gathering himself in mid air, focusing a large piece of ki into his hands and then firing a two-handed ki beam through his legs, directly at Yush.

The blast was powerful, but moved too slowly, as Yush easily flew out of its path, and Crono was unable to alter the beam's trajectory enough to set it after Yush again.Instead Crono halted the beam, turned to face Yush and then rocketed after him at full speed, his red aura flaming all around him.Yush didn't seem all that eager to restart the battle, so instead of facing the hybrant, he too immersed himself in ki energy and flew off into the sky.

Crono traced Yush's course exactly, and was soon following the Caprian movement for movement.The two of them shot across the sky at speeds I hadn't even seen in my wildest dreams.Yush soon began making sharper and sharper turns, cuts and boosts of speed, but Crono didn't lose even a metre of ground to the Caprian, he was with him every step of the way, which made me wonder how quick his reflexes and reaction rate must've been.

The pair played the game of cat and mouse for a little while, maybe fifty seconds, going all the way from the borders of the city to far beyond the expanse of my vision into the opposite field.Then, when the duo was directly in front of the others and me, Crono made his move.His ki power exploded as his red, flaming aura intensified dramatically and his speed increased radically.Before I even knew it had happened though, he was flying downwards into Yush and had knocked the Caprian face-first into the ground right in front of the boulder we still hid behind.

His body collided violently with the already wrecked section of ground, sending another wave of dirt and grass into the air as another tiny crater was formed on the skin of the Earth.As soon as Yush had connected with the floor, Crono swooped down to the ground and plopped himself next to the crater, arms crossed, waiting patiently for the Caprian to pull himself out of his hole.

The seconds, and then eventually the minutes, began to pass.Yush had risen up from the ground, but had yet to step out of the crevice.He just stared at Crono, an evil scowl on his face and his muscles tightened and impulsive, like he had developed some sort of nervous twitch.He whispered something to Crono, far too quietly for me to hear.Whatever it was he said, Crono's arms fell to their sides, his head tilted to the side slightly, and his hands turned to fists.

Suddenly his shoulders began heaving, and the look on Yush's face changed, to one of twisted joy and ecstasy, a very disgusting look considering he was now missing a tooth.Crono slowly brought his clenched hands in front of him, and screamed out "You're wrong!I will defeat you, you don't even stand a chance!"

I was surprised by the sudden outburst, but even more surprised by Yush's reaction.He just tilted his head back and laughed.It was a hideous, wicked laugh, which sent shivers down my spine and filled me with a sudden lust for blood, his blood.Crono must've felt the same, because he didn't waste any more words, just spoke with his actions.

He snap-kicked directly forward, and since Yush was still standing in the depression on the ground, the kick planted itself straight into the Caprian's tilted jaw.The kick was delivered with such force it sent Yush flying out of the crater and into a hill a few metres away.Even as Yush collided with the rise, resulting in a huge "SMACK" sound, he continued to laugh.This simply angered Crono more, resulting in him flinging his arm up and firing a ki blast at Yush's amused face.The Caprian didn't even make an attempt to dodge or block the attack, simply let it make contact.The resulting explosion was rather small, but it had enough punch to utterly decimate the hillside into nothing but a smouldering patch of grass, and leave Yush's body lying flat on his back, his entire body giving off a grey-white smoke.

Crono's face was twisted in anger and terror, like someone had just told him the boogieman was going to come and get him.He dropped his hand to his side, and slowly began walking towards Yush, his previously confident steps now hesitant and uncertain.Whatever Yush had said, it'd upset Crono enough to shake him into fear.

Yush's floored body made no movement as Crono came nearer, just a few twitches here and there.It wasn't until Crono was towering over the Caprian that any action was taken at all.Yush pushed with all his strength, crooking his neck upwards and gazing at Crono.The fused warrior just looked down in disgust at Yush, a faint hint of pity weaved into his set jaw and rigid eyebrows.Both of them continued to stare at each other for a number of seconds, and it was during that time that I really noticed the subtleties of Crono.The first thing I picked up was how handsome he was.I thought it strange at first that I hadn't noticed earlier, but I reasoned there'd been more important things on hand.His arms, though covered in muscle, were fairly skinny, at least compared to the other Z warriors.His skin was nearly transparent, so clear you could almost see right through it.His hair was in spikes so thick it seemed impossible to manage, like a saiyans hair.That must've been Triono's legacy.His face was grim and bleak, but it didn't affect his good looks in the least; in fact it may have even magnified them.I wasn't usually one to preach vanity, but his face just held some kind of hold over me, and I suddenly found myself unable to tear my eyes away from him.

Before I could announce any sort of opposition to his actions though, he'd torn himself away from my vision.Suddenly, Crono had leaped high into the air, at least fifty feet, and then, at the apex of his jump, turned to face Yush.His ki blew up around him, and then in one quick motion, he was flying full speed, right towards Yush.As he began his rapid descent, he screamed.In the single, fleeting second it took him to go from the air to the ground, I thought we'd won.Then, Yush ravaged that notion.

I'd seen a lot of amazing things that day, the most noticeable of which was the amazing speed and strength both Yush and Crono possessed, but how Yush zanzokened out of harms way before Crono reached him simply mystified my mind.I knew it happened almost instantly though, as the only sound that greeted my ears was of Crono's knee being driven into the dirt that had previously lay underneath Yush's body.I don't think Crono knew it had happened until it was too late.Suddenly Yush had appeared to the hybrant's left, and had delivered a savage sidekick to his temple.Crono was hurled to the side by the kick, and slid along the rough ground for a second or two before coming to a halt on his stomach, his face burrowed into the soil and grass.

He didn't even make a move after the kick had been distributed, and any sort of humanity would've told Yush that he'd probably killed the fused fighter with the blow, that he was most likely nothing but a limp body now.But the Caprian was not satisfied, he had to do more than just kill Crono, he had to humiliate him.Yush shot high into the air, much like Crono had done, and also similar to Crono, rocketed towards his opponent at suicidal speeds.

This time though, the attack found its mark, the back of Crono's spine.Crono's neck and legs shot up in some sort of reflexive pain, and the hybrant screamed out in agony as Yush drove his bony knee deeper and deeper into Crono's spinal cord.Crono's ki signature began to fade, dwindling lower and lower with each passing moment.It wasn't until Yush repented from his senseless torture and rose from the ground did the hybrant's power intensity begin to level off.

Any normal, honourable fighter would've been content to wait until Crono could rise to continue the fight, but Yush was not a normal fighter.He'd been embarrassed by this mysterious fighter, outmatched in both strength and speed (all be it very slightly), and something told me Yush did not like to be beaten at what he did best.So instead of waiting to continue and possibly finish the fight, the Caprian captain sustained the beating he was delivering.He bent down to Crono's unmoving head, grabbed his fiery red hair in his left hand, and pulled the half-saiyan, half-human up from the ground by it.

He then pulled Crono higher and higher, till his arm was fully extended; Crono's feet didn't even touch the ground anymore, he was being hung.Yush turned around on his feet, whipping Crono around as well, until he was facing our group, which was now hovering slightly above the rocks."You see this?"He yelled, spitting out small bits of blood, and pointing to Crono's ripped and torn body with his free hand.We all turned our attention to Crono, saw the painful expression he had on his face, his cut and ruined tunic and pants, his now torn and tattered hair."This is what happens to people who challenge Captain Yush, and the whole freaking Caprian army!"He screamed out, in an almost childish, confrontational tone.He then extended his arm outwards slightly more, letting Crono's feet just barely brush the ground, and then placed his unused hand behind Crono's back."They die."He said, much more calmly.

My world was turned upside down with those two words.It was the way he said them, like the choice had already been made, like Crono had already been killed, and it was too late for any of us to do anything.As the Caprian began charging his ki, I stared at Yush, silently screaming for this bastard to stop, to spare the life of this man that had just so recently captivated me.Even as I did so, I knew it was not to be.There was something in Yush's face, something that hated me, something that I'd seen in my past, something I hadn't wanted to see ever again, something he'd stolen.

It was his eyes.They were not his own, they didn't belong to him, they belonged to another man I'd hated with my entire being.Those eyes should not have been in Yush's face, they should've remained in my father's head, which lay dead and at the bottom of the ocean, where it belonged.Now this fucking bastard thought he could come in here and pick up where my dad had left off.I couldn't let him continue my father's reign, couldn't let him hurt the people I cared about, or the place I called home.I felt the hatred boiling inside me, growing with each second the eyes remained in Yush's skull.

Then suddenly, I didn't see Yush anymore, I saw my father, with his own eyes once again.And with my father came the memories, the ones I'd locked up deep inside my heart.The fear, the pain, the agonizing sting of his body coming into my own, and then the terrifying loneliness; the kind that cut me off from the outside world for so long, that disconnected me from the life I was entitled too.His eyes, they still carried the same message "I'm going to hurt you, and there's not a thing you could do about it."Whenever I heard that thought echo through my head, I became paralysed in fear, like it held some invisible lock over my body.I couldn't let my dad win, I couldn't let him get the best of me, I had to set him straight once again, I had to break the fortress of solitude he threw me in every night he had his way with me.I had to kill him.

I erupted.I just exploded out of the seclusion I'd allowed him to put me in, and then I set myself to work.My scream could only be matched by a dying planet, and my speed could not be equalled by anyone.I shot from behind that boulder with such ferocity I literally shattered it right down the middle with my ki.Before Yush could dodge my attack, or much more importantly, kill Crono, I was upon him.I had so much momentum with me when I delivered my first punch, it literally broke my hand, my bone just wasn't strong enough for all that power driving itself into Yush's rock-hard body.Fortunately for me, Yush hadn't been expecting it at all, and was driven off his feet by the punch, which also meant he dropped Crono into a heap on the floor.My anger continued to flow through me quicker than my blood, and I wasn't satisfied to simply hit Yush to the ground, I had to hurt him, for even trying to take my father's place.I hopped up into the air slightly, and then charged as much power as I could into my feet, and then drove them right into Yush's stomach.I felt with a hideous sort of pleasure as one of his ribs broke, and the air rushed out of him.Then I shoved Crono a few metres out of the way using my mind, and shot into the air again.While Yush lay on the ground in pain, I hovered in the air and began reaping the very last of my ki energy into my palms.My mind was still boiling in anger, in pure hatred, but my body was fast running out of adrenaline to power my need for revenge.I knew this would be my last chance to injure or kill Yush, so I made sure it counted.I gathered all the power I possibly could, and even then some, and then when I felt I'd gone beyond my max, I clasped both hands together and shoved the energy out of my hands, and into Yush.

The white beam of ki energy I fired was at least ten feet wide, and twice as high, and it moved fairly slowly, but Yush was in no position to dodge it.Before he had recovered from my first two strikes, the beam was on him.It collided with his body with a huge impact, rocking the surrounding ground with enough strength to crumble some of the surrounding grounds.The beam itself only lasted a second or two, then my ki reserves ran completely out, but in that small time frame, another, gigantic crater was formed; at least twenty metres in diameter.I later found out I was lucky I didn't strike Crono in my rage, but at that point in time, all I could see was my father, hidden within the body of Yush.

The explosion sent up so much dust and dirt it took nearly a minute for it all to clear.I waited anxiously, taking in deep breathes to replace the oxygen I'd expended in the attack.The wait seemed to take forever, but when finally the powder and grains of land settled, there, in the new crater, stood Yush.He was looking directly up at me, and he looked very pissed off.

I floated there in the air, terrified beyond the life of me, just trying to conceive how Yush had survived my assault.His chest and back were cut, but other than that, he didn't seem any the worse for wear.I just couldn't understand how he could come out of the explosion in nearly the same shape he entered it.I finally came to the realization Yush was just far too powerful to be severely injured by any of my attacks.He was on a pedestal I just hadn't reached yet, one no one else was even close to reaching, besides Crono.It kind of put everything in perspective, how powerful the two of them were, beyond anything I could ever hope to achieve.

While I floated there in genuine terror, Yush just slowly began to float upwards, right towards me.I wanted to just fly away, to get out of that monster's way before he could hurt me again, before he could become my father incarnate.My body had no way to carry out my will though, so I hung there in the air, completely defenceless, unable to even scream out a cry of help, or of pain.

I tracked Yush intently as he slowly climbed the air, eventually coming to eye level with me, just a few feet in front of me, and as my heart beat ceaselessly, I began to know the true meaning of fear.The Caprian commander looked me straight into the eye, then slowly floated closer and closer, just like my father.Then, when we were just inches apart, he bent his neck forward; I closed my eyes in dread and whispered in my ear."No good little girl would do something like that."I clenched my jaw shut, and tried to hide the tears that were forming in the sides of my eyes."That's why you deserve this."The tears poured their own way out, as the words I'd heard so many times in my early youth were spoken once again, rendering me completely useless, just like my dad had said.I was alone again, completely and utterly alone, with no one to help me, no one to save me from this abomination of humanity that I called a father.The punch came quickly from Yush, directing itself right in my stomach with all the ferocity of a lion's jaw.The organs inside my torso were shook around, as a huge well of blood shot its way up my insides, burning my throat as it ejected itself out of my mouth and onto Yush.I was sent backwards by the hammer like blow, as I doubled over in pain.Yush just continued to stare at me, angry, always angry.

I looked up at him, pleading with my eyes and my bloody mouth for pity, for salvation; but all I found were my father's eyes, and I already knew the answer those eyes returned whenever mercy was requested.Yush brought his fist up to beside his head, tilted his elbow so he would have perfect trajectory to strike me in the skull and finish my life.I wanted to close my eyes, if only to not see the final punch coming.But my eyelids wouldn't shut, like I had no control over them.More tears streamed down over my cheeks, like a river of pain.

Before Yush could deliver his fatal swing, there was a flash of blue, green and white in front of my eyes, and then Yush's face was sent flying, far, far away.All I remember seeing is him soaring so far into the distance I couldn't pick up his teal skin in the now mid-morning sun.Slowly, I turned my tunnel of vision back to the point Yush had previously occupied.There, like some sort of vigil soldier, floated Crono.

His face looked worried, careful, and upset; it took me a few seconds to realize he was concerned about me."Are you ok?"He asked in a quiet voice.He placed his hand on my shoulder lightly; a harsh contrast to the violent, hard-hitting man who'd just knocked Yush clear across the landscape with a dynamite kick.

"No, he hit me pretty hard there."I answered back weakly.I tried to straighten up out of my hunched position, but that just hurt much more."I can't really move."

"Here," he said, "this may help."He brought his hands up to my shoulders, closed his eyes, wiped his face of any expression, and then slowly began pushing ki energy into my body from his.I was about to protest he would probably need that energy more than I, but almost instantly the pain dulled, and I was soon standing straight in the air, my pain virtually non-existent, and my insides feeling a hell of a lot better.

As Crono opened his eyes and looked into my own, I asked, "How'd you do that?"

"To tell you the honest truth, I'm not all that sure."He paused for a second, and then gave me a weak smile "Seems like I'm doing a lot of 'firsts' today."I just nodded, unsure of what to say.Crono then continued, "Thanks for saving me out there, I owe you one."

"Uh, no prob."I managed to gasp out.

He nodded, and then turned away from me to face where Yush had been kicked and said, "You should probably get with the back with the rest, it could get dangerous around here."

Rather than just agree, I asked a question "Do you think you'll be able to take him?"

"I think so, unless he has some new move in his bag of tricks, I think I'll beat him."

That was reassuring, but I just wished he had Kaioken, so he could just overpower Yush and finish the fight before he got hurt."Too bad you didn't keep the Kaioken attack in your arsenal after the fusion, that'd be really helpful right about now."I added, almost as an afterthought before heading back to Karnai and the others.

"I did."He replied, surprising the hell out of me.

"What?"I asked, exasperated.If he had Kaioken, that changed the entire mechanics of the fight, it meant he could surpass Yush at basically any time he wanted."Then why aren't you using it?"I asked, accidentally throwing in my motherly tone.

"I have been, the entire time."

That'd make sense, considering Kaioken gave the user a red aura, and could multiply the person's power level fairly dramatically, which Crono seemed to have done a few times in the fight."What multiple have you been using?"

"Ten for the most part, although I did up it to 11 once or twice."

"Well why don't you just increase it to 15 or 20 and waste Yush?"

He turned his head to face me again, and answered, "You have to understand, I'm basically a newborn here.I just came into existence a few hours ago.I don't know the limits of my own body, and I don't really want to blow myself up in my first fight."That made sense, and I silently cursed myself for my stupidity.I didn't have much time to feel unintelligent though, Yush suddenly came flying at Crono and I like a blazing ball of teal fire."Go now, and tell the others to watch out, as well."He warned.

"Ok, thanks again."I whispered to him as I quickly began flying down towards Karnai, Yukia and Arsenia behind the remains of the boulder they hid behind.Half way down though, my curiosity got the best of me, and I turned to see what was happening between Yush and Crono.

Yush had covered the ground between the two of them in record time, and both of them were now staring off in mid-air, Yush wiping blood from his face and Crono falling into his battle stance.Suddenly Yush yelled out, "You haven't even seen the full extent of my power yet.You don't stand a chance!"Crono just regarded him carefully, like he was trying to figure out if Yush was lying or not.The Caprian slowly raised his hands, bent his neck forward, and soon every muscle in his body was bulging to their full extent.His ki power began to rise, ever so slightly, and then as he screamed out, "Here I come!"His muscles, one by one, exploded.They expanded to almost twice their original size, starting off at his shoulders, then the ones in his arms and back, and finally even the ones on his face.His previously attractive face was now horribly disfigured, like he'd had plastic surgery gone wrong.His ki was significantly stronger than before, and I slowly understood that he had transformed, changed his body to a more powerful version.

Apparently Yush didn't just look like Zarbon, he also had some of the same powers as the old Freeza minion.


	31. Crono's Story (Chapter 30)

Crono's Story

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Chapter 30

Crono

_ _

Ugly was the first word that ran through my mind when I first saw Yush transform.The second was hideous; I admit, my vocabulary is slightly limited.

I stared in a unique blend of horror and surprise as Yush's body metamorphosised before my eyes.I knew I probably shouldn't have given him the time he needed to transform, but my body and mind weren't quite on the same page.In fact, the entire battle hadn't just been fought between Yush and I, it was also between my body and mind.While I saw every movement Yush made, anticipated every attack he attempted; my mind and body just didn't interlock the way my previous pairs had.My movements were sluggish, uncoordinated and listless.My strength, speed and stamina were all higher than Yush's (untransformed) at Kaioken times ten, and I knew I should've been able to dominate the Caprian, but for some reason, my body didn't act or react as quickly as my mind.As it stood, the only reason Yush was matching up to me was his speed.Almost all of his fighting ability was in his mind-numbing speed, which nearly matched my own.He and I both knew that if it came down to a match of strength, there would be no contest.

So up until his transformation, he had kept all our encounters quick and snappy, as to give me no chance to exert my strength advantage.As soon as he changed though, the entire battle changed.

His eyes were no longer tainted by fear or foreboding after the transformation, instead they were bastions of vigilance and independence, a dark contrast to say the least.I store down into those eyes, praying for a seed of doubt to lay hidden within them.As I gazed into my opponent's eyes, I found he was doing the same.We floated in the air for perhaps a minute, each of us glaring at the other, both of us seeking some sort of mental advantage; finding none.

I guess I was the first one to break the stare-down, but he was the first one to act.I hovered there, mentally trying to gauge his power level, which I figured to be well above a million, leaving myself completely open to his attack.

The fist came before I had a chance to conjugate a thought of defence, much less implement one with my non-cohesive mind and body.His teal, meaty knuckle placed itself directly into my nose, then quickly retracted itself.I can't describe the sensation of seeing your nose breaking before your very own eyes, its something you have to experience for yourself.

I brought my hands up in defence immediately afterwards, using them to shelter my broken bone; the river of blood and immense pain coming soon afterwards.Rather than making the mistake of giving him another unguarded shot, I made sure to keep my eyes on his chest, where I could keep track of all his limbs.He was still just staring at me, his fearless eyes now having their way with me.My cupped hands were soon overflowing with blood, the pain in my nose gradually receding with each second.I dropped my hands from under my nose, releasing a small lake of crimson red liquid to the ground, and whipped my hands into a combat position.

"You better be ready to pay for that."I muttered, more to myself than my nemesis.He made no response, simply continued to bore his way into my mind.It was starting to get on my nerves how little this soldier spoke, almost like he'd been trained not to.

Suddenly something inside of me told me he was going to strike again, so I made sure not to give him the chance.I shot forward, and as fast as I could, I sent a flood of punches and kicks at him.I was strangely surprised when I found it much harder to lay a hand on him than before.I continued my assault, but soon discovered he moved so quickly I couldn't even touch him; he deftly avoided every strike I attempted, all with seemingly the greatest of ease.

After only a dozen seconds I became extremely frustrated at my weakness and lack of speed.Almost right after that though, I realized it wasn't my lack of quickness that led to my pointless battering, it was the increase in his.His speed, which had previously been just slightly below my own, was now well above any pace I could match.

Even as I discovered the futility of my efforts, I continued, if not redoubled them.Wave after wave of fists and feet I sent flying at Yush, all in the vain hope a single blow would land.Soon though my attacks became more and more uncoordinated, as I concentrated more on speed than any set plan of attack.And so, the mistake Yush had obviously been waiting for presented itself rather quickly.

A jab of mine sailed just to the left of Yush's head, and since he didn't have to move to avoid the attack, he had a split second chance to mount his own assault.He lowered himself in the air, a foot at the most, and then whipped his fist into my abdomen.Luckily my stomach muscles were flexed and the blow didn't cause any serious injury, but it did give me grounds to double over in pain, almost automatically.He saw the opening and pounced on it, flying above me at almost light speed, then kicking me viciously in the back and sending me to the ground at suicidal speeds.

After the floor and I had met each other's acquaintances, I was nearly immobile from pain.My back, face, stomach and chest all burned with a stinging pain, all of them rendering me inert on the ground, my limbs twisted astrew at my sides and on top of me.Being in such an uncomfortable position gave me no chance to prevent Yush from slowly floating down next to me.As I lay on my chest in slowly retreating agony, I thought he would certainly pounce, striking me in my weakened state and finishing the fight.Instead though, he simply stood over me, his arms crossed, his eyes locked onto me.He watched in complete silence as I slowly pushed myself up from the ground, spitting out blood and holding back the urge to scream in pain, and as I turned to face him, he just looked into my eyes and said "What, no quick response this time?"

Now it was my turn to be completely silent, as I found myself bafflingly at a complete loss for words.He was really starting to open up on me, and I began to wonder how much longer I could hold out.Then I realized there was nothing to hold out for, no other fighter to aid me should I fail.I was the last hope against these Caprians, the last chance humanity, no the universe, had for salvation.If I failed, there would be only death and destruction.It was a heavy burden, but a part of me almost greeted the challenge, like it was what I'd been born to face; and in reality, it was.

Even as I recognized all this, I couldn't get past the primeval urge of ripping Yush's damned eyes out of his head and spitting in the empty vacancies they left.Deciding then would be as good of a time to strike as any, I whipped my left hand straight at the Caprian captain's head.Before it reached its target though, Yush had nimbly brought his own hand up from across his chest and caught my fist in his right palm.Before I could begin to think, Yush had counter-attacked, sending his free hand straight at my chest.Fortunately my right hand was already close by, and I managed to instinctively bring it into the path of his fist, clasping his appendage in my hand before it could connect with my torso.

So with our hands clamped onto each other's, we both instantly realized what was next; the simple test of strength I'd taken for granted just a while ago.I pushed forward with all my strength, and he pushed with all of his.I used every part of my anatomy I could, my back, legs, arms and even my ass were thrown into the mix; and from the looks of Yush, he too quickly implemented his full strength.His already huge muscles seemed to expand more as he exerted his entire body in the hopes of overpowering me.For two or three seconds, neither of us moved an inch as our muscles pressed against one another.Quickly though my arms grew tired and heavy, then my already injured back began to throb and give way.Soon Yush had pushed my arms back nearly a foot, so that they were awfully close to my chest.As we continued to hurl as much as we could into each other, my back began to bend backward, and I realized Yush was beginning to overpower me.It seemed that his power had increased far more than even his speed after the transformation, so now the tables were turned, and he had the huge strength advantage.Still, I pushed with all my might, not wanting to give any sort of victory to this damn Caprian; at least, not without a fight.Beads of sweat, mingled with pieces of blood poured their way down my forehead, dripping across my eyes, intoxicating my nose with their sultry stench.

Soon though, I realized Yush was going to break my back and earn the victory if I didn't do something swiftly.He already had my spine bent backwards after only half a minute and I let out a scream of pain as my spinal cord cracked under the pressure.For a split second I considered raising my Kaioken multiple to a point where my strength would be greater than Yush's, but before I could implement the manuever, Yush pulled a quick one on me.

Before I comprehended what was happening, all of Yush's resistance disappeared, and since I was pushing blindly with all my strength, I literally fell forward, right onto Yush.As I fell, the Caprian pulled me forward, so I was falling almost horizontally.Sooner than I could react, Yush struck, thrusting both of his feet straight up into my stomach.The contact caused me to lose my grip on his fist, and I was thrown high into the air from the kick.

While I soared through the sky, I lost all sense of direction as I wrapped my arms around my injured stomach.I slowly reached the top of my climb and was content to float there, catch my breath, and regain my orientation.My tunic was now torn to shreds by the wear and tear of the battle, and since it offered no real protection anyways, I tore it off my torso and flung it lack-lustrely to the ground.My entire body was stiff and sore with pain, but I already knew the end of my hurting wouldn't come unless I could devise a plan of attack against this transformed monster.My choices were few, and none of them very preferable.The one that seemed predominant was to just raise Kaioken to a higher level, but I feared what it would do to my body.

The fusion had made me strong, to a level beyond anything either Cris or Triono had ever experienced, and as such, I had no idea how far my new body could go.I knew I had yet to push it to its limits, but I was scared that I would go beyond those borders in my haste to win the battle, and in the process kill myself and end up losing the conflict.It was a fine line I had to walk, between self-destruction and triumph, and I felt like I was being forced to walk it with a blindfold.One thing was certain at that point however; Kaioken utilised at the ten level was not going to cut it.I doubted eleven or twelve would really be that much more useful, but I couldn't decide if anything above that would leave me anything left after I used it.For a few moments, I hung in the air, trying to decide what multiple I would be able to up Kaioken to, when the little alarm every great warrior has in the back of his or her head began to go off like crazy.I abruptly realized I was a sitting duck, just waiting to be shot, and I didn't even have the slightest idea where my hunter lurked.I hysterically scanned for Yush's ki signature, and quickly found it.Unfortunately, it was right in front of me by the time I'd tracked it down.

Yush didn't waste a single movement, I had to give him that, he was almost like the perfect fighting machine.His snap kick to my right knee was so fluid I was almost mesmerized by its beauty.When he elbowed me hard in the head though, my vision was wiped away, and all I saw was a hazy blackness.Because of my sudden blindness, I didn't see the quick and swift blow that connected with my chest and upper abs, all I know was that it knocked the wind right out of me, and sent my body slowly back to the ground.

My landing was slightly more gentle than the previous one, but I was in so much pain I couldn't really tell the difference.I knew that if Yush landed another set of attacks on me, the fight would be all but finished, and I wouldn't be able to implement my increase in Kaioken even if I wanted to, so I made sure to track his ki signature while I lay recuperating on the grass and dirt.He remained in the air, descending just slightly at a leisurely pace, resting in the air about a hundred metres away and about ten metres above the ground.I shook my head, sending blood from my cut temple and busted lip scattering across the soil, trying to clear my vision to a point where I could see my opponent once again.My entire body screeched for me to just lie down there and give up, but for once, my mind held control over my physical form.I gradually raised myself up from the ground, my vision clearing with every passing moment, and before long, I was standing on my own two feet, gazing intently up and towards Yush.

Our eyes caught onto one another's for a split second, and I made sure to pour the utmost confidence into my glare, it was my turn to rule now.I spread my legs to shoulder-width, brought my arms up from my sides, disengaged Kaioken for a few moments, to allow my body time to rest, took in, and slowly released a deep breath, and then shouted out, "Kaioken times fifteen!"

Why I chose fifteen?I don't know, maybe it just seemed like the most obvious step up from ten, or maybe I figured subconsciously it was the highest level I could sufficiently maintain.Whatever the reason, I had no idea what number I would yell out when I opened my mouth; just let whatever happen, happen.As soon as I uttered the magical words though, I instantly felt the effects.My muscles, absolutely every single one of them, popped, like some sort of bag had just been shot full with a blast of air.It hurt like hell as my skin was stretched in order to fit the expanding muscles, and the muscles themselves pressed against my bones, shoving my organs around like they were some sort of useless sports balls.My pants and belt were stretched by my increasing muscles, to the point where I thought they would burst off.My earrings were thrown upwards by the explosion of power, and it felt like they were going to be ripped off my head.The red aura that always accompanied Kaioken seemed to explode around me, ripping the ground beneath my feet to shreds, and illuminating all the rocks and shrubs that weren't destroyed with a light reddish glow.I stood there, imbedded into the ground for a few seconds, making sure that I hadn't self destructed, and that I could actually move in my new form.My body felt like it was going to burst at any second, but the surge of power that rushed through me recharged me to a point I'll never forget.It got to such a point where I didn't feel the pain any more, didn't sense the skin ripping apart in front of my very eyes, where I didn't even care if I survived or not, I just needed to fight.

I shot away from the ground as fast I could, straight towards my heated rival.His face was no longer free of fear; it was now riddled with it.I almost felt like laughing in the split second it took me to cover the distance between us, laughing at how once again the tides had turned, in my favour.When I reached him, he swung a wild hook at my head, I easily ducked under it, and with all the momentum of my short flight behind me, I let fly a fist into his stomach.He was almost cut in half from the punch, which bent him forward at an irregular angle, and left his head as a target too tempting to resist.I shot up from my position just below his head, driving my own skull right into his jaw.The contact whipped his neck up and propelled him upwards slightly, so he was we were at the same eye level.I followed up the strike with a hook to his left temple.That blow hurled him sideways through the air, where he came to a rest almost half a kilometre away.

He lashed himself around in mid-air to face me, his jaw set at a lopsided position, his eyes bloodshot, and his muscles convulsing involuntarily.I couldn't wait for him to make any sort of a movement, I needed to feel his skin again, to feel his bones breaking by my hand, to see the pain in his face once again, so I fired myself straight at him, fearing nothing.I was about half way to him, when suddenly his hand flashed at me, and I felt a surge of ki from his direction.Luckily, Kaioken enhanced my vision to the point where I saw the beam coming towards me before it was actually upon me.I don't remember telling myself to zanzoken out of the beam's deadly course, but I did it nonetheless.I do remember reappearing directly to Yush's left, and I do recall the absolute terror that was stuck to his face, as he realized he was now outmatched, that I was the superior warrior.

I had time to wind my right leg up by turning my hips to the right, and then using as much leverage as I could get, I drove my leg right into Yush's open stomach.Whatever air remained in Yush's lungs was soon exhausted, as my blow crushed his lungs.If it wasn't for the fact he was thrown through the air again, the kick might've even killed him.His body had already been through a lot, and though he didn't seem to have any adverse physical pain from his transformation, I was fairly sure it put at least a bit of strain on his body.After the kick though, he just sort of sailed through the air, making no movements at all, like he was paralysed or something.I'm not sure to this day if he was just trying to lure me into a trap, or was just plain injured, but I do know that either way, my best plan for attack was a long distance one.

I brought my hands up, raising them above my head and opening them so the palms faced the sky.I placed the left one right beside the right, and began charging all the ki energy I could into my hands.My red aura dimmed slightly as the power was transferred from the air around me into a small ball of ki in my hands.It'd been a long time since I'd used this move in a battle, almost a year and a half, which seemed like a lot longer because I had the memories of two people's year and a half running through my mind.Soon the ball of red ki energy began to grow, and after a few seconds, I'd completed gathering the required power.I looked out into the sky, finding Yush just as he was halting himself in the air and turning to face me.I could feel the energy crackling in the air above my head, and as soon as I was sure I had a bead on Yush, I screamed out "Tasaranko!" and whipping my hands back quickly and then lashing them forward, hurled the ball of energy straight towards the Caprian fighter.

I was half expecting Yush to just fly out of the path of the slow-moving attack, but to my pleasant surprise, he was either too stupid to just evade it, or he was intent to salvage some piece of his pride.Little did he know that even the lowest powered Tasaranko could equal the destructive power of an atom bomb.Triono had specifically designed it so that he could use it, as a last resort, to destroy the Earth.Since I was fighting to prevent such a thing from happening this time, I didn't put quite that much explosive power into it, but the ball of ki was still highly volatile, and there was no way Yush, or anyone else, could touch it without setting it off.

The Caprian commander valiantly waited until the Tasaranko was right before him, and then with his left palm, attempted to swat it away.The instant his skin and the covering of the energy ball made contact, the people in the city must've thought a new sun had been created.To say it was loud and bright would be a serious understatement.More like ear splitting and brilliantly stunning.A huge red sphere of ki expanded exponentially from the collision point in less than a second, eventually creating an orb of flame-red energy the size of a farmer's field, turning the sky a dull red colour. I was forced to undo Kaioken for fear my finely tuned eyes and ears would be permanently damaged by the extreme sensory bombardment. The explosion had so much excess ki I was thrown far away from my original starting position, almost four hundred metres into the air.I lost Yush's ki sign in the explosion, droned out in the sudden and massive upsurge of energy.I doubted anything within a five hundred-metre radius that wasn't tough as nails was incinerated in that blast, cremated into nothing but dust particles and small pieces of hardened carbon.Once I managed to hold my position in the air, I waited out the blast, which lasted for almost half a minute.When the ki finally began to dissipate as it dissolved into the air to be spread amongst the living things of the planet, I looked down at the ground as the glowing embers of ki finally burned their way out of existence.A crater the size of which I'd never seen before is what greeted my eyes.It was at least four football fields in diameter, completely circular, and went down maybe fifty feet into the ground.It was truly a sight to behold, but I didn't see the almost destructive beauty of the spectacle at first, I was more impressed by what was within it.

There, standing in the middle of the gigantic crater, was Yush.I had to rub my eyes for a few seconds before I could believe it myself, but it was true, Yush not only survived the huge blast, he had survived it standing.His entire body looked badly worn out, his back and chest were covered in cuts, bruises and welts which covered practically every inch of his body, his left knee was nearly popping out of its socket, and his face; well, I'd rather not get into his face.Still, he stood, and I knew I had to give him some credit; he sure was one tough motherfucker.

But that blast had taken quite a bit of my ki, and I would need some time to recover enough energy to mount another assault.At the same time, if I gave Yush too much time to work with, he could muster up his own strength to a point where he could do some more serious damage.I decided I couldn't let him have that opportunity, that I needed to do as much damage as I could at once, while he was already on the ropes.I quickly powered up to Kaioken times fifteen again, felt the now familiar stretching of my epidermis, saw the burning red ki aura spring up around me, and then I headed for Yush at full speed.

He saw me coming just a split second before I could've had a chance to strike him unmolested. Instead of striking immediately and just hoping I could land a hit or two, I decided to try a different approach.I flew right in front of the Caprian, landing in a crouch just a few feet ahead of Yush.I looked up at him, and he looked down at me.My thick aura prevented me from seeing his entire face, but I saw enough.His eyes were no longer scared of me, no longer terrified or concerned about me.I looked harder; deeper to make sure what I was witnessing was correct.That's when I found it.

Almost hidden within those eyes I found the one thing I feared the most; a small glimmer of confidence, an almost camouflaged piece of hope and optimism that seemed to be in the very core of his eyes.I had no idea if the confidence was genuine, or some other emotion just trying to masquerade as self-assurance, but in any case, it scared the hell out of me.I couldn't let Yush have that confidence, the doorway to victory, at least, not if I wanted to survive that day.As soon as I gazed upon that tiny stronghold of expectation, I was almost overcome with the need to pound Yush into the ground, into defeat.

I roared a battle cry, and shot straight at his legs.From the ground, I did a sweeping kick aimed towards his left knee.He dexterously hopped above the kick, but I had been ready for that, and before he could mount an attack of his own, I had clamped my right hand into a fist, and using my legs as the source of power, I drove the fist straight into his jaw with an uppercut.

The blow launched him into the air, so high that I had trouble seeing him in the brightness of the early afternoon.I tracked his now weakening ki signature though, and quickly flew towards him, my ruby red aura leaving behind a trail of surplus ki energy.As I neared him, he gained control of his loosely flailing body, and whipped around to face me.He had a ball of energy in each hand, and was already beginning to wind up to throw the first one when I was coming close to him.Before he could get the chance to fire either of the blasts at me, I zanzokened right in front of him.

He first attempted to move his hand to an angle where he could hit me with the ball of energy, but I snapped onto both of his forearms with my hands and held them in place.He pushed with all his super-human might, but I was stronger than he was now, he stood no chance at overpowering me, and I told him so, "Don't struggle, you'll only waste your energy." I half whispered, half shouted to him.

As usual, he didn't reply in words, just actions.He continued to push with as much strength as he could muster, while I just firmly clung to his arms, holding them in position.He even let out a scream of exertion, but soon afterwards the ki balls in his hands disappeared, his arms gave less and less resistance and he even said, "All right, I bow to."

I tried to look quizzically into his eyes, unsure of whether he was bluffing or not, but he held his head down so I couldn't even get a glimpse of them.That should've been my first indication that he was lying, but for some reason it just didn't register in my mind.Eventually his arms went limp, and I loosened my grip just slightly as I began to contemplate whether to believe him or not.As soon as I made that small little slip, he struck.

His arms slithered out of my grasp before I realized what was happening, and as I made a vain attempt to grab them once again, my arms were knocked aside by his own in a double out-block.This left my chest wide open, and it didn't take long for him to yell out, "Hookarama!"And fire a huge blast of ki energy from both of his hands, straight into my torso.

I think I blacked out after the blast and on the way to the ground.All I know is that pure blackness consumed me, and when it finally dissipated, I was on the ground, on my stomach, with Yush rocketing towards me from the air.My mind screamed for me to do something to save myself.And for the only time that entire day, my mind and body worked as one.I gathered the energy I needed in less than a second, and just as I turned around, Yush was at most ten metres away, and flying full speed towards me.I shot both of my hands up, completely open so each finger and thumb stuck out, placed both of them next to their respective temples, closed my eyes and yelled, "Solar Flare!"

I have no idea how I performed that move; I'd never practiced it as either Cris or Triono, and I really had almost no idea how I managed to perform it.The burning hot white light poured forth from all around me, and as soon as I had expelled all the energy I had, I made sure my eyes were clamped shut, and then flew away from the scene of the blinding light.

Once I was half a kilometre away, the light began to dissipate, and I heard Yush crying out in agony as his eyes were burned into by the white hot flash of brightness.I spotted a small rock ledge onto which I could perch, and once I did so, I disengaged Kaioken.It felt like a wave of peace had been washed over my body, as my muscles detracted to their normal sizes, and my aura disintegrated all around me.It was only then that I realized how much a strain I must've been putting on my body.It felt like I'd been training non-stop for my entire life, and after all that some sort of huge ki blast had just hit me.Just the thought of using Kaioken again sent a ripple of pain through my body, and I hoped for Kami's sake that Yush would just surrender or retreat back to his Caprian army.

I watched through squinted eyes as Yush practically ripped at his face in pain.I had no idea what he was going through, but I knew it was all for the better.I made sure to catch as much of my breath as I could, while Yush just frantically tried to restore his vision.It must've taken him almost two minutes to do so, but when he finally regained his ability to see, he just slowly turned to face me.His entire body, especially his jaw and eyebrow muscles were twitching uncontrollably, like some maniac killer.He was grinding his remaining teeth so hard I could hear it, and his fists were clenched so tightly his fingernails had pierced his skin and his palms were bleeding.Finally he screamed out, "Fuck it all!Fuck Earth!Fuck the Dragon balls!Fuck everything god damnit!This place is going bye-bye you goddamned pieces of trash!"

I was taken aback by his sudden outburst, but I had almost sensed it coming.He may of very well had much more to say than he ever let on, but it seemed like he was almost afraid that if he said something someone would come and beat the crap out of him.But since that was already done, I guess he had nothing to worry about, and had let his thoughts flow out of him.I didn't particularly like the message, but I was sure it was nothing I couldn't handle.

At least, I was sure.When he flew high into the air, right above me, I wasn't quite certain what to make of it.When I felt a sudden and significant up rise in his ki though, I began to get the idea.He brought both of his open hands up to his forehead, and instantly began concentrating his ki energy into his palms.A small, yellow ball of ki began to form in his palms, and I suddenly thought, "This seems somewhat familiar."

I took in a final deep breath before beginning my own charge up of ki."Kaioken times fifteen!"I shouted out once again, and once more had the sensation of my skin being ripped apart send itself to my brain.My emerald aura of power flickered to life around me, as I felt my ki power rise to fifteen times its normal limit."Yes," I remember thinking, "this is all too familiar."

I fought with my arms until the bottom of my palms were connected right next to my right hip, and began centring all of the energy that remained in my body into that one point.The stream of energy began to flow through me, as if it was my blood, and before long I had created a ki ball very similar to Yush's."Ka----" I yelled out, announcing the words I'd need to in order to perform the attack Cris had perfected so long ago, and had since passed onto me.

Yush's ball of yellow ki was gradually growing larger, and within a few seconds it was almost as large as his hands.I continued garnering my energy, undaunted by the Caprian's manuever."Me-------" I continued, as the energy within me continued to pour towards my palms."Hame----------" I yelled out, wanting nothing but to expel this now huge mass of ki that rested in my hands.

Yush and I both finished pushing our power to its max, and as soon as I had all but released my beam, he screamed the magic words, brought his arms down to his waist, and fired the huge yellow beam straight towards me, "This is it!Masenkooo!"

If my mind had not been occupied at the moment, I would've perhaps realized the significance of him using Son Gohan's old attack, but I had more important things to worry about right then, like firing my own beam."Ha!!!!!!!!!!"I absoloutely hollered, as I threw my hands up, and shoved with all my strength my beam right into the path of Yush's yellow shaft of light.

A clash of kis is something most people would not like to recall.It's sort of like total ecstasy locked and devoured by the thought that at any moment you would be swallowed by your opponents beam and disintegrated into dust.The exertion needed to maintain and (even more so) win a battle of ki beams would be enough to drive most people to the brink of insanity, if not beyond.The instant our beams met halfway the distance between us, the struggle began.The struggle not only to beat the one another, but to actually survive the stress you put on your own body in such a meeting.

I pumped all the force I could into my red beam of energy, which was at least ten metres in diameter, and was actually a bit bigger than Yush's beam.I was somewhat surprised when the rock I was standing on held under the immense pressure, but after all, most of, if not all the stress was put on the combatant's bodies, not on the area surrounding them.It seemed at the beginning that our two beams were equally matched, but after a few seconds, I felt Yush's beam give way ever so slightly, and then a few seconds later, it wavered again.After nearly half a minute, it felt as though I was going to win, that I would hit Yush with my beam and send him careening into the other dimension.I even gained a few feet of leverage on Yush before long, but then I realized something.If my beam hit him, it would probably not explode, there just wouldn't be enough momentum and power behind it to cause any sort of a blast.It would most likely just hold the Caprian in its palms and then send him on a trip into the atmosphere, which he most certainly would survive.I couldn't let that happen, I had to finish the fight right then, before he could do any more damage to me or anyone else.I just had to beat him and end the battle, for the good of all humanity.

"Kaioken," I began, as I prepared myself for the absoloute worst to occur, "times twenty!!!!!!"I screeched at the top of my lungs.I'd thought I'd known the meaning of pain before I did that, but as soon as my power multiplied itself to the level I'd requested, I had a whole new definition of the word.My chin was pushed upwards by my pectoral and neck muscles, as they expanded.I heard a sound very similar to that a balloon makes before it pops, that squeaky, rubber stretching sound.In a disgustingly horrifying moment, I realized it was my skin making that sound.I let out a scream of pure agony and torture as my beam increased in size even more.Even through all the pain I was experiencing, I could feel the beam cutting its way through Yush's Masenko, and then finally, after three nearly eternal seconds, the brunt of my beam reached the Caprian captain.It exploded in a brilliant flash of scarlet light and teal skin, as Yush's body was caught in the middle of a blast even larger than the one the Tasaranko had created just a few minutes earlier.Almost instantly I mentally turned off Kaioken, and as my muscles receded into their natural positions, I was left with a horrifying, and at the same time pacifying, type of pain.It left me numb all over, like my entire body had been frozen, yet I was still awake.I couldn't feel anything around me, not the air on my skin, no the rocks under my feet; nothing, like I was dead, and yet still alive.

I watched in complete silence as the huge detonation slowly cleared away, and Yush's body fell out of the sky like some sort of fallen angel from the heavens.He smacked into the ground with a barely perceptible "Thump", and for a few seconds, I thought it was all over, that I'd finally killed the bastard and finished the fight.Then, to my dismay, I felt his ki, still holding onto this dimension by a thread, as if he was going teetering between life and death.I soon realized that he was unconscious though, and that we still had a chance to finish him.

I told myself that I needed to get up and draw to a close what I had started.My body was unwilling to budge though, and before long, a huge drowsiness swept over me, like a blanket of despair that wanted me to sleep.I tried to fight it, but I'd been through too much already, too large an amount of fighting and pain, I needed to rest, to sleep, if only for a few seconds…

I saw it once again, only this time it was strange.I didn't see myself as me, I still saw Triono.I saw him, me, curled in a corner, my/his head coiled into our knees, our eyes burning red with tears and pain.I didn't understand it; I couldn't understand any of it at all.And deep within the bowels of the dream, I heard it, "Now go and do it."


	32. Crono's Story (Chapter 31)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 31

Karnai

History was not something a simple warrior like myself often wrote or even witnessed, it was more like something that we studied in order to not repeat the mistakes hidden within it.But even as I stood there, looking out onto the battlefield that lay in front of me, I knew deep in my heart that I'd just seen a piece of history the likes of which the Earth could not forget.

I was instantly caught in a whirlwind tornado of mixed emotions and thoughts almost the second Crono had beaten Yush in their violent clash of ki beams.My natural fighters instinct told me to fly down to Yush, and finish the Caprian once and for all, while my more predominant pacifistic thought-engines nearly commanded me to swoop down to the fallen warrior who had just saved my life, and quite possibly the lives of trillions of other's.It seemed that everyone else was also torn between the two choices, as no one even moved for almost a minute, we all stood there in a sort of stunned and confused silence.My mind turned to mush as I tried to rationalize which of the options was the correct one, when, of all people, Nikita took a step forward from her place on the top of the boulder just a few feet beneath me.All of our eyes instantly whipped straight towards the blonde-haired human, our vision seemingly cemented onto her form.I watched with profound interest as Nikita slowly took a few more hesitant steps towards the scarred and worn battleground.With one small hop and an explosion of ki, Nikita shot across the ground and was soon kneeling next to Crono's unconscious and shirtless body.

Almost as soon as she began to aid the injured hybrant warrior, Arsenia snapped out of his trance-like state, and he too quickly flew down next to Nikita.I shook my head vigorously to draw myself into awareness, took in a quick breath of air, squatted for a split second, and then with a strong push from my legs, propelled myself into the air, directly at the small gathering around Crono.

I landed a few feet away from the fallen red-haired fighter, and to the sight of Nikita gently rolling him onto his back.When she'd finally wrestled his limp carcass into a straight position on the ground, both Arsenia and Nikita began looking over his body for any telltale signs of serious injury.As I bent down near his head to perform a small check to see if he had a concussion, I picked up the sounds of the others flying over from behind the destroyed boulder.One by one the remaining four fighters touched down behind Nikita and I.I brought my hands up to Crono's temples, and slowly drained a portion of the man's ki from his head.It was extremely dangerous to take another person's ki and intermingle it with your own, it was almost like taking an infusion of type A blood if you're a type O.However, since Crono was using hardly any of his full power at the moment, I deemed it a required risk to take.The small piece of ki energy rushed through my system, and as soon as I knew it had spread its course throughout my body, I performed a test on my own ki to see if the small extract I'd taken from Crono had any of the signs of a concussion, or any other serious injury.Luckily, my test came up negative, and I made a mental note to myself to purge all of my energy from my body as soon as I could; having someone else's ki running around in your body for an extended period of time could be very hazardous.

"You find anything?"Gideon asked me suddenly.I hadn't been expecting the question, so it took me a moment or two to figure out just exactly he was talking about.

"Uh, no, not really."I stammered in reply.

"Good."Gideon half-whispered in answer.

I stood up from the ground, and studied as Nikita tore a few strips of loose clothing off of her gi and wrap them around Crono's open cuts, which were still bleeding at that point.I sensed a feeling of worry and apprehension from Nikita, like she was tormenting over a loved-one.It seemed kind of odd to me that she would be so concerned about Crono, but as it turned out, it was just the start of their relationship.

All of us that were standing soon formed a small ring around Crono, Nikita, and Arsenia.The two humans worked feverishly on the floored fighter, while the remainder of us watched intently.Their medical aid was makeshift, barely helpful, but it was an effort none the less.As I regarded the action beneath me, a thought suddenly sprang in my head.I realized I could call on Kami to fly down to our position and heal Crono at light speed.I nudged Yukia, who was to my left, and said, "I'm going to call Kami down here to help heal Crono."

He turned his head to face me and smiled broadly, "Good idea."

I nodded back towards the black-haired human, slowly shut my eyes, and then tentatively opened a mental communication link between the guardian of the Earth and myself.When our minds attached a few moments later, I felt the fear and dread Dende was experiencing as he watched Crono's battle from high above at Sky Palace."Kami."I began, murmuring quietly.

His reply came instantly, almost as if he was expecting my call, "Yes Karnai?"

"It looks like we've won, but Crono may need some serious medical attention, and there isn't a regeneration chamber site, or even a hospital, for several miles into the city."I paused a second to make sure he completely understood our situation, then continued, "And since Yush isn't finished yet, we may need Crono at full power quickly.So if you could fly down here and heal him, it would be greatly appreciated."

There was a slight pause as my fellow Namek thought about it, "Alright, I'll be right down."

"Thank you Kami.Once again, the world owes a great deal to you."

"Oh, you flatter this old he----" Kami stopped in mid-sentence, and when he spoke again, his voice was high pitched and alarmed, "Karnai, look out!!"He half-screamed through our mental link.The rational part of my brain demanded an explanation for such a rude and boorish cry, but luckily, the rational part of my brain went into a dormant state whenever there was even the slightest chance of a battle.I dropped down to the ground, flat on my stomach as quickly as I could, and just as I did so, there was a huge upsurge of ki from directly behind me, and then a thick purple beam rushed above me, right where my torso had been just a moment before.

The beam lasted for only a second, and then it struck the ground about a hundred metres ahead of me.Luckily it didn't make contact with any of the other Z Warriors, but it did graze Yukia slightly, sending him sprawling to the ground.There was a fairly large explosion as the brunt of the beam detonated on the hard, now grassless land.I paid no attention to the explosion however, and instead shoved myself up from the ground and whipped around to face the source of the purple blast.

I expected to find Yush, but instead, standing not twenty feet away was a bulky, bloody and armor-less Blanka.His right arm and palm were outstretched, smoking and still aimed directly at me.One of his eyes was swollen to the point where I could no longer see his pupil; his left arm was slightly mangled at his side, obviously broken, and his massive chest was almost overflowing with open cuts and blood.He was breathing heavily, and his face was trying hard to mask the obvious pain that was running through his body.How I hadn't noticed such a large and powerful individual escaped me, but I figured it didn't really matter how he'd eluded me, just that he had.

"Lucky bastard Namek."He mumbled under his deep and grave breath.

A series of cries went up from behind me, mainly consisting of "Karnai!" and "Are you alright?"I paid the howls no mind, and instead dropped into my fighting stance as quickly as possible.I couldn't let Blanka attack me un-hindered like that again, even if he was badly injured.

The Caprian smiled slightly as Gideon and Arsenia rushed to each side of me and fell into their fighting poses.I could feel the tension within my allies' bones, and I whispered to them, "Be calm.Just don't let him take you by surprise."

"Right." Arsenia replied.

"That's a good idea," Blanka chuckled out of the blue, "you wouldn't want me to get a sudden advantage, would you?"Arsenia began to fidget in fear and impatientcy at my side, and I knew that was just the kind of uneasiness Blanka would take advantage of.I was about to warn my human companions of such an attack, but before I could do anything, Blanka struck.

Zanzokening quicker than I thought possible for such a large man, he was soon out of view; and just as quickly as he disappeared, he faded into reality once again, right in front of Arsenia, who was to my right.Before he even had a chance to raise his hands in defence, Blanka had brought his good hand up and nailed Arsenia in the human's jaw with his fist.I swivelled to face Blanka just as the Caprian was following through and Arsenia was being hurled backwards.No sooner had I turned to face my enemy than he was attacking once again.He brought up his right leg and attempted to deliver a sidekick into my stomach.I narrowly avoided the deadly blow by hopping backwards, but Gideon, who still stood dumbfounded to my left, remained in the path of the kick.The dark-skinned human caught the full impact of the Caprian fighter's kick right above his hip.

I felt Gideon's ki signature get hurled into the air, and then collide with the ground a few seconds later, but I didn't bother to watch the descent of my friend with my eyes.Instead, I pounced on Blanka's awkward position, hoping to do some major damage.Since his right arm was still extended outwards, he had nothing with which to protect his head, so I decided to hit that first.I slung my left claw around in a hook and caught Blanka in the jaw with the swipe.His head was twisted away by the blow, and for a split second, he lost all sight of me.I guess I probably should've zanzokened to a place where I could mount a more thought-out offensive, but my mind wasn't working quite right, and instead of planning my next attack, I just went all out.I took my right leg up from the ground and snap-kicked the Caprian in the stomach.He was thrown ferociously backwards and at a slightly upward angle from the kick, and as soon as I'd gathered the tiniest amount of my ki energy, I shot after him at my maximum speed.

Before he'd recovered from my kick, I reached him in mid-air and using a double axe-handle smash, knocked him straight back into the ground.I hung in the air for less than a second, trying to decide whether I should continue after him or use a ki attack to try and finish Blanka off.I quickly decided to continue a physical assault, but that split second of hesitation I had gave the Caprian enough time to gather himself on the ground.I rocketed towards him in a huge ball of white ki, and by the time I reached him, he was lying flat on his back and I thought I'd be able to land another attack.To my surprise though, as soon as I came within a two feet of him, his legs swung upwards at an astounding speed, and he caught me on the jaw with his two massive, booted feet.

My momentum instantly reversed, and I was thrown at full speed into the air.The pain started in my jaw, but soon travelled its way throughout my head, until I felt like my entire skull was going to shatter.Consumed in pain, I paid no mind to my foe, even as he shot up from the ground straight towards me.By the time I'd forced myself out of my world of agony, Blanka was upon me.He smiled gruesomely at me as he wound up a huge uppercut fist and delivered it full-force into my jaw.

By then my head was so overtaken in hurting that I didn't even see his next attack coming.All I felt was a huge blow on my spine, and then I was flung to the ground faster than I'd ever experienced before.As soon I collided with the floor, I forced myself to rise to my feet, so that Blanka wouldn't hit me unguarded like that again.Though my eyes were covered in a sort of blackness, I used my ki tracking ability to map out where Blanka was.To my surprise, he wasn't soaring after me at his max speed; instead he was slowly gliding down to my position, his ki power lowering slightly with each passing second.

My vision began to return to me after a few seconds of waiting, and before long I was able to see once again.My eyes confirmed what my mind had just inferred.Blanka was indeed slowly climbing down the air, and before long, he had planted himself in the ground about twenty metres ahead of me.I slowly curled my claws into fists, and began to stare straight into Blanka's face.He was still smiling, a smug and confident look on his face.I slowly lowered into my fighting stance, but I was extremely uncertain if I could take the Caprian or not.I didn't want to look into his ugly, beaten face any more, I just wanted to walk away right then, before the fight could continue.Of course such a wish could not be granted, and as much as I willed for him to just walk away with his moral victory intact, I knew he wouldn't stop until he was crushing the life out of me with his bare hands.I knew I couldn't let him do that, I couldn't lose to him now, not after all Crono had just accomplished for us.I opened my jaw gradually, spit out a bit of blood from my mouth, and bore my fangs straight at Blanka.The humanoid fighter didn't even seem to notice at all, and that just pissed me off even more.I was overwhelmed by a sudden urge to just pounce on him and show him who truly was the best between us, but before I could begin any kind of an assault, a huge upsurge of ki grabbed my attention.

It came from my left, where the rest of the Z Warriors were still supposedly standing.I followed one of the most basic fighting principles and diverted my attention to the most powerful source of energy on the field, and at the same time I also defied another basic rule by rerouting my concentration away from my current foe.I expected to find Yush standing over the dead bodies of all my friends, and for a split second I regretted my choice to go to Crono's aid instead of killing Yush once and for all.Ironically it was Crono whom I found standing, but he wasn't over the dead bodies of my companions, he was standing with them, all alive and well.In actuality though, he wasn't standing under his own power.Crono's arm was slung over Nikita's shoulders, his legs looked weak and wobbly, he was breathing heavily under the strain of standing up, and I doubted he had enough strength in his body to help in any form of the word.His body was swallowed whole in a red flame, and I realized he was using Kaioken to reach a level where Blanka and I would both notice him.Nikita was also consumed by his ruby aura, and if anything, she looked more alive within it than I'd seen her in a long time.As soon as I confirmed that it was a friendly power that I'd sensed, I mentally punished myself for allowing my eyes to divert themselves from my opponent when I could've just as easily found out who it was by their ki signature.Luckily, Blanka had also been distracted by the sudden expansion of Crono's ki and was giving the fused warrior his entire attention.He wasn't even facing me anymore, and even a small child would've been tempted by the sudden opening my Caprian enemy had given me.I bent my legs slightly as fast as I could, and right as I was about to pounce on Blanka's mistake, a voice propped up from apparently all around me."No Karnai."It said.I didn't recognize the voice, but I was startled enough to halt me from attacking Blanka full force.I glanced nervously at Nikita and Crono, but found that they hadn't noticed the voice.I suddenly understood that the short quip had not come from all around my head, but from within it.Someone had sent me a mental message without even touching the mental defences I'd set up to prevent someone from accessing my mind.The only person on the planet who could possibly do that was Kami, and that voice was definitely not Kami's.I stood frozen in confusion, unsure of whether to obey this voice when suddenly it spoke again, "Don't bother Karnai, I've got it covered."The voice said again.

I thought about it again and after a second of thought found that I did recognize the voice.I turned slowly to its source on the balls of my feet, and when I looked straight at it, I gave it as questioning a look as I could.Crono didn't even look at me, he just continued to stare at Blanka, but as soon as I looked at him, he spoke into my head once again, "Yes, its me.Don't worry with him, he won't be bothering us for to much longer."I nodded absent-mindedly, completely lost in the trunk of wonder that was Crono.I dropped my fighting stance slowly, and then when I made sure Blanka was no longer watching me, I shot up from the ground and flew over to Kennard, Yukia and Gideon, who were almost ten feet to the right and ahead of Crono.They all nodded at me as I touched down on the ground beside the trio, and I nodded back.All our attention then turned to Crono, Nikita, and the Caprian second in command.

Crono, with Nikita in his wing, just stood on his spot, his flaming aura illuminating the ground around him with a dull red colour, his red hair and blue-green eyes bouncing lightly with each passing second of silence.Blanka had his right hand clenched in a fist, a small grin painted onto his broken and bloody face, his jaw dripping blood down the side of his chin.The two stared into each other's eyes with a level of ferocity and intensity I had never seen before.You couldn't tell by Blanka's facial expression, but I sensed that deep down within himself, he was unsure, and somehow, I knew Crono sensed it too.Neither warrior was willing to make the first move however, and the stillness between the two stretched on for what seemed like forever, until I almost felt like screaming out in anticipation and anxiety.Finally, Blanka abruptly broke the silence and half-shouted out, "You look pretty bruised up over there."

Crono just nodded slightly and retorted, "You don't look so great yourself."

"Looks aren't always everything."

"Exactly."

Blanka fell silent for only a split second, but the smile on his face gently faded away.He continued to stare at Crono, but when he spoke again, his voice was spiteful and unconvinced, "You know you got lucky with Yush.It was just an off day for him; I saw the whole thing."

"And you think you could do better?"

"The way you are now… absolutely."

Crono stared back at the gimp-armed Caprian for perhaps a second at the most, then lowered his vision to Nikita for a moment, and then quickly looked back towards Blanka.The blonde-haired human nodded towards Crono, and then tenderly slipped her body out from under Crono's arm, letting the limb fall loosely to his side.He clenched his good hand into a fist, brought it up to beside his waist, and almost whispered to Blanka, "Go ahead and try it then."As soon as he did so, his flaming aura exploded to a more intense level as he raised Kaioken to a higher factor.Blanka actually took a step back in fear in the face of the powerful hybrant fighter.I almost laughed at his cowardness, but luckily I caught my tongue before I let slip.Crono looked quite formidable as he menacingly gazed straight through the Caprian warrior, who looked almost petrified in fear.I could tell that Crono had once again turned the tide of the battle in our favour, although I didn't know how long he would be able to maintain Kaioken before his already injured body was overwhelmed.Blanka's breathing became noticeably heavy, like he was struggling for each breath, almost as if they were going to be his last.

Nikita ran away from the crimson-covered fighter that was Crono and joined the rest of us in relative safety. The stare down between the two powers lasted only a few seconds before Blanka realized his awkward position and said, "You're just fortunate this time.When General Yoorabit arrives, you pathetic humans won't have a chance."

"We'll deal with him, and the rest of his 'Army' when the time comes."Crono glared deeply at his opponent for a split second and then continued, "Until then, I suggest you leave now, and rejoin your pathetic little militia."Blanka regarded Crono irregularly for a little while, and then stole a worried glance at Yush, who was still unconscious and laying on his back over a hundred yards away."Don't worry about him," Crono said, continuing to look straight at Blanka though obviously speaking of Yush, "he's ours to deal with now."

There was complete silence, except for the sound of Crono's aura, for several seconds as Blanka decided if he should make a stand there or follow Crono's advice and leave while he still could.I waited tensely as each apprehensive second stretched on, each instant raising the level of pressure to a newfound level.Without any indication, Blanka suddenly exploded into a flaming ball of white ki, and then almost instantly shot off into the sky.We all watched as he flew away from the site of Yush and Crono's battle towards the Caprian's ship, which rested in the crater it had created just a few kilometres away.After a while, a huge roar emanated from the spherical ship, followed by a huge blast of flame, clear but super-hot gas, and the sultry stench of pure hydrogen and rocket fuel being ignited to near a million degrees of heat.The ship was slowly pushed upwards, climbing the sky inch by inch as hundreds of pounds of fuel were burned with each second.

After the metallic vessel had risen several metres from the ground there was another huge blast as the booster rocket within it went off and the ship soared high through the air and into the Earth's atmosphere.With each passing moment, the glare of the sun's beams reflecting off the glossy surface of the ship grew dimmer and dimmer as the former assault vehicle for over ten now served as an escape pod for one.

"Finally."Gideon muttered almost incoherently off to my left.

"Yeah."Yukia replied from behind me.I too, found myself suddenly overcome with a feeling of finality and happiness, like the sensation one gets after witnessing the birth of a child.I knew such a feeling was hard to come across in life, and should be treasured while it lasts, so I made sure to try and do so.Silence consumed our ragtag group of Z Warriors, and for the first time in a long, long while, I felt nothing but hope and expectation of the war to come.We had defeated the Caprians twice now, and there was no reason we could not do it again.I slowly turned to face the friends I'd grown so close to in recent times, looked over their faces one by one, and saw just what I'd hoped to.Every single one of them was smiling, or at least grinning, and their eyes glowed with pure confidence and anticipation.In that single, fleeting moment of pure bliss, I knew then that these Caprians could not beat us, the only people who could defeat us were ourselves.

I smiled back at my fellow warriors, basking in the glory of the moment.I sensed Crono walking towards us, and I gradually turned to face him, to see if he too had realized what I had just fathomed.He was already near, and as he stepped closer and closer, his face came into crystal-clear view.I didn't find what I'd hoped to within his face; instead I found something totally different.His visage tried to hide it, to hide what he had fought so hard to win with, but his face failed.I stared into his almost teal-coloured eyes, and he stared back.We stood there, not five feet apart, our eyes uniting our souls in a way no fusion could match, and for a brief moment, I saw the true Crono.I saw the emptiness within him, the barrenness that was his memory, like that of a child.I could sense Cris' memories laying embedded within the man in front of me, and I could even feel some of Triono's past as well, but for Crono there was nothing; a hollow man masked by a pair of blue-green eyes and a body more powerful and willing than any I had ever seen before.It scared me really, to see such a vibrant, living, sage-like person truly be a newborn on the inside, a toddler taking in its first impressions with each passing second.I wanted to close my eyes, so that I wouldn't have to gaze into this false vision of hope, but I couldn't, like his eyes held me in a trance with their vacant stare.

But even beneath all this emptiness, all this pure unending blackness that was Crono, I found something else, a pure; controlling emotion, that I'm sure not even Crono knew he had.Fear.Crono was afraid, and I knew why.His emptiness was so dominating, so utterly overpowering, that not even he knew who he truly was.And that, that is the most horrifying fear a person can ever know.

I was scared, terrified of what I saw within Crono's mind, but luckily before I was forced to look even further into his core, a flash of white ki illuminated the sky as Kami made his descent towards the battlefield.Crono turned away from me, towards the direction of Kami, and I was left with a sort of emptiness Crono's soul had imprinted upon my own.

"Hello all!"Kami yelled out as he touched down on the ground a metre or two to my left, right beside Gideon."It looks like my services aren't needed here after all, I'm glad to see you're all standing."I swallowed deeply, pushing my saliva down my cracked and dry throat, and turned to face Kami.Almost immediately after I did so, he faced me directly and said, "Especially you Karnai.After Blanka fired that beam at you, I wasn't sure if I warned you in time.I set off from Sky Palace before I could confirm you were ok."

"I'll be fine."I weakly answered back, unsure of the validity of my own statement.

"Good."Kami nodded in my direction and then turned to Crono, "And I'm glad you are ok as well, there were a lot of tense moments out there for you."Crono just nodded, his eyes now almost glued to the floor."Well, I guess we need to take care of Yush now, don't we?"

"Yeah," Arsenia responded quickly, "if we don't get him hooked up soon, he'll wake up and we'll be in trouble."

"Right.Let's go then."Nikita almost chirped from the back of our group.Yukia and Kennard sprinted forward, towards Yush, while Nikita floated above the ground for a second before flying over to the fallen Caprian, and Arsenia, Phoenix and Gideon all encompassed Kami in a collective ki-field prior to rushing over to the downed fighter.

Crono too powered up slightly, covering himself with a very light shade of red energy, but before he shot into the sky, he gave me one last glance, one last foray into his unfilled heart, and then he was gone, and with him a mystery that I knew I had no business solving. 


	33. Crono's Story (Chapter 32)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 32

Crono

_ _

True beauty is very objective, to say the least.To those that have seen nothing but the frigid arctic for their entire lives, the glory of an endless field of grass and dirt is a sight to behold.Someone who has witnessed war and oppression may see beauty as the right to do what you wish, when you wish.For me, after two lifetimes spent fighting and training to fight, peace and relaxation were two of the most attractive things I'd ever seen.And after having over half of my short, waking life spent staring into the bloody, broken faces of my enemies and even my allies, something as simple as a courtyard was quite beautiful.

So as I stared out over the small yard in front of the Eastern Capitol hospital nearly three days after defeating Yush, I felt as though I could never again see such splendour and harmony.The grass was green, a dark, rich green that still held drops of morning dew on its blades.Each sliver of grass was carefully cut to just over two inches in height, so that it would protect the ground from the punishing steps of the people that traversed it, and yet would not impede those very steps from moving onward.The two tall trees that stood tall on either side of the patio loomed over the rest of the life beneath, like two sentries planted to hold the life within its vicinity happy and teeming.The bark of the trees smelt of fresh sap, and the leaves gave of a scent that can only be described as life incarnate.The bushes mirrored on both sides of the walkway were swaying in the gentle wind, rustling ever so slightly with each passing second.Their leaves were also a dark green, slightly lighter near the path, where less water would fall during rainfall.The small, marble fountain that stood in the very center of the yard poured forth a never-ending supply of crystal-clear water, the tinkle of the four streams hitting the main pool echoing throughout the enclosure.The purple semi-spherical cascade divided the entire yard into two separate sides, like it was the heart of the place.Even the pathway split into two to accommodate the fountain, it only made sense, after all, it made the entire courtyard complete.I sighed deeply, vastly content to simply stare at this near-perfectly symmetrical court for the entire day.However, there were many things to do that day, and as much as I wished to hold my gaze of this truly beautiful object, I knew I could not.

I slowly walked down from the small hill that protected the courtyard from the sight of any standing far away, and started tracing my way along the grey-gravel pathway that led to the front door of the hospital.I made sure to take my time, to savour every second I could, for I knew that whatever previous moments of tranquility I had were soon to be whisked away.I slid my hand along the rim of the fountain as I passed it, feeling its smooth, cold skin along the way.I was tempted to bend down to the bushes along the side of the lane, and smell the sweet fragrance their leaves gave off, but I resolved there was no time for such a stop, and with a yearning heart, continued on down the path.

When I reached the pair of glass doors, I took one last look at the garden that I'd passed through, and devoted the moment to memory, so that I wouldn't forget what I would be fighting for.I reluctantly turned back towards the hospital, swung the glass door open, and stepped inside.

The front office was dimly lit, a pale, yellow glow engulfing the entire administrative office.The floors were dark brown, tiled and shiny clean.The walls were all white, most likely for sanitary reasons, but the light didn't reflect at all off the walls.The smell changed dramatically from the fresh-air and plants of the outside to the gallons upon gallons of disinfectant poured all over the place within the hospital.I urged to simply walk right out of the place and back into the courtyard outside, but I couldn't tell myself that what I'd come to do could wait, so I stayed.To my surprise though, I wasn't the only one of the Z Warriors in the front office at that point in time.Nikita was just checking out with the secretary who sat in a glass cubicle a few metres from the door.While the two spoke quietly to one another, I slowly stepped towards them, also needing to check in with the secretary before seeing Yush.

"Ok, thanks."Nikita almost yelped in her teenage voice as she began to turn away from the desk and took a few steps towards the front doors.

"No prob."The much older secretary replied back, lowering her head back down to her work as Nikita backed away.

Once their conversation had ended, Nikita turned her entire body to face the door, and doing so, she caught a sight of me, smiled widely and chirped, "Hey Crono!"

I stopped where I was and replied, "Hi."I found myself smiling as well, which I had not even thought about, like some automatic reflex had kicked in at the sight of the blonde-haired human.I didn't know what to make of it at that time, although I had a vague feeling I'd experienced that sensation before, and yet, had not.

"Going up to see our 'prisoner'?"She asked in a playful tone.

"Yeah, how's he doing?"

"Alright I guess.Still weak as hell, thank Kami."

"Yeah.Has he made any progress?"

She shook her head and erased her smile, glancing almost nervously at the ground and then looking back into my eyes."No.I'm not sure if he'll do it anymore.He looks to be too far gone."

"We can only hope."

"Uh-huh.Unfortunately, we won't be able to guard him for much longer.We can't put back our training for much longer."I just nodded and she continued, "He wanted to talk to you though."

I was caught off guard by this, but felt like I should've seen this coming.Still the question begged to be asked, "Why?"

"I don't know." Nikita sighed heavily before going on, "He just said he wanted to speak with you as soon as possible."

"Alright, thanks Nikita."

"See you later then, at Sky Palace?"

"Yup.Later."I smiled weakly back at her, and she did the same.We walked past each other, and I could pick up the slightest hint of some sort of floral perfume from her, reminding me of the courtyard I'd left behind just a few seconds ago.

It wasn't until I reached the secretary's desk did I realize how quickly my heart was beating.It felt like it was going to pop out of my chest, and the very sensation confused me.What could have possibly caused that?I placed my palm on my forehead, but found I had no fever, so sickness was ruled out.Severely puzzled, nothing came to mind for the longest time, and after a while, I just gave up on it, relegating it to the back of my mind.I shrugged and continued onwards to the receptionist's window.

"Hi."I interrupted quietly.

The brunette secretary looked up from her work for just a split second before asking, "Who are you here to see?"

"Uh," I hesitated, trying to remember the fake name we'd used for Yush, "uh,"

The middle-aged woman sitting in front of me then sat straight up in her seat, gave me a humoured look, and jokingly said, "This millennium please."

I smiled and blushed slightly, replying immediately afterwards, "Trinity.Mr. Trinity."

She smiled and glimpsed downwards once again for a moment before almost exclaiming, "Oh, the same as that young woman."She looked back into my eyes, smiling, and finished, "Room 534, on the fifth floor."

"Ok, thanks."I replied, nodding in the older woman's direction and then walking past her, down the hallway towards a pair of elevators a few metres away.After I'd reached them and pushed the "Up" button, I waited for a few seconds as the elevator slowly made its way down from the upper echelons of the hospital.Sighing deeply, I closed my eyes, diving into total blackness.In a way it was relaxing, like I was able to completely isolate myself from the outside, and all the problems that existed in it.Yet even as I stood there, immersed in absolute nothingness, I knew it was just a façade, an elaborate decoy that could not hide me from the outside world.I loathed every second I was in the shade of my own mind, and at the same time I savoured every moment as well.A small, almost distant, "Ding" quickly brought me back to the real world.

The elevator had opened itself directly in front of me, and it was completely empty. I stepped inside it and quickly pressed the transparent button for the fifth floor.The metal tube began slowly climbing up the square-shaped shaft towards the fifth level of the building.Before long, I'd reached the appropriate floor and slid out of the elevator so it could continue its journey throughout the building.

The entire layout of the structure itself was mind-numbingly simple.The inside was basically a big square, with a middle hallway cutting down the middle of the center square, and rooms on either side of the huge main hallway that ran its way around the center.With the design so basic, it took me less than a minute to find Yush's room, it was on the north side of the building, and there was a very shady character hanging around outside the room.

It took me a while to realize it was actually Gideon who stood guard just beyond the entrance of Yush's recovery room.He was wearing street-clothes, which looked quite silly on his bulky frame and bald cranium, especially when compared to the yellow and orange gi that he usually wore during training.I walked up to the black-skinned human, barely able to contain the humor of his appearance to myself."Hi."I said, nodding in his direction and stopping directly in front of him.

"Hello."He replied, looking me up and down slowly at the same time.

"I hear he wants to talk to me?"I questioned.

Gideon nodded, sighing and answering back, "Yes.He was absolutely adamant about it."

"And no reason given?"

"None."

"Alright," I started, heading towards the closed door and reaching for the doorknob, "I better get started then."

Before I touched the metal door-handle, Gideon's arm shot out and he clasped my arm in his grip, "After your done, Phoenix and I want to have a talk with you."

I looked into his sunglasses covered eyes, saw the sternness and genuineness of his claims, and replied, "Ok."He nodded and slowly released his hand from my arm.I grasped onto the doorknob and turned it quickly, stepping into Yush's room.

There, I was greeted by the sight of Yush lying on his green-sheeted bed (which almost camouflaged his skin perfectly), and Phoenix standing next to the bed, staring intently on the sleeping form of Yush.As soon as I had completely entered the room and shut the door behind me, the saiyan rotated his neck to see me, giving me an affirming nod before returning his gaze to Yush.

I looked long and hard at Yush, and for the first time since I'd seen him, I actually felt something other than animosity for the man who had been responsible for my creation.As soon as we had warded off Blanka and Kami had arrived on the scene, Arsenia, being the healthiest of the fighting Z Warriors, snatched up Yush and flew him to this hospital, where we'd used some of Capsule Corporation's ki-drainers to keep him weak and in a position we could control.Dr. Gero originally made the draining devices for use in his very last pair of artificial humans, 19 and 20, to take the ki energy of the original Z Warriors and use it for their own purposes.Since then, Capsule Corp. had once again adapted advanced technology and put it to the use of human society.Now, the ki-drainers could be hooked up to a ki-trained person's bloodstream and it would drain their energy as soon as it was produced within them.The power taken during these ki-tapping sessions could be used to power anything from a number of city buses for a few hours to entire continents for months, depending on the strength of the person being drained.Yush's energy was in fact being used as artificial light for the plants and trees in the area where our battle had taken place, among other things.Of course, this process kept the sapped person extremely weak and unable to use even the most basic ki attacks.So, in this case, there were multiple benefits to one of Gero's more useful legacies.

Yush didn't seem all that proud of his work for the landscape of the plains around the Western Capitol, in fact, he made sure to show his pure discomfort in his situation.His face was locked in a deadly scowl; his usually definitive cheekbones were set in stone, his forehead was wrinkled as his eyebrows were burrowed deep into his nose, and his eyes held nothing but contempt for his state of affairs.His muscles were noticeably smaller than before, even in his untransformed state, his hands were wobbly and frail, and his dark green hair was frizzy and uncombed.For lack of a better word, he looked…sick.And within his eyes, he revealed a sort of pain I'd never seen before.It wasn't agony, not by any extent of the imagination, but it was almost more painful than any sort of physical anguish I'd seen or experienced in either of my lifetimes.It was the pain of a savagely destroyed ego, of confidence shattered into non-existence at the hands of something you never thought you'd find.Within his eyes I could see that, to Yush, it was far worse than any kind of physical harm that could be given to him.

I walked over to Phoenix's side, and quietly whispered in the black-haired fighter's ear, "I'd like to talk to him alone, if you don't mind."

Phoenix just nodded, his stare remaining fixated on the bed-ridden Caprian.Slowly, he backed away from the bed, and then quickly set off from out of the room to meet Gideon outside.I watched him go, waiting for a few seconds before turning back to face Yush.I found him gazing straight at me, his dark eyes wanting nothing other than a confrontation with my own.I decided to avoid, or at least postpone, such a meeting, instead whipping around to grab a chair from the nearby wall and set it up at the bed's side.Once I'd done so, I rapidly placed myself on the seat and stared back into Yush's eyes.Neither of us said anything, electing to communicate on a more antagonistic level.I began to wonder what thoughts could be swirling around inside his head, and I could tell by his eyes that he was speculating as to what I was thinking as well.Before long though, we both gave up on our futile attempts to read each other's minds, and gave way to a much more primitive, yet useful, method of communiqué.He spoke first, "It's futile you know."

"What is?"

"What you're trying to do here.Protect the dragon balls."

"I don't see how."

"You have no idea of the power of the Caprian army."He said the words with such certainty, I almost believed him.

"We beat you didn't we?"

"Me and my crew were nothing compared to the bulk of the force heading this way."

"We'll deal with them when the need arises."

Yush was silent for only a split second before changing the subject, "You're stronger than before."

I nodded, "Yes.I'm half saiyan, and as with all saiyans, I grow stronger each time I come close to death."

"So that other saiyan, the one that just left, he's stronger too?"

"You didn't pick that up?"

"Reading energy levels is not something that comes easily to me.I usually have a scouter to do that for me."

"And you would rely on a piece of equipment to gauge your opponent's strength?"

"It hasn't failed me so far."

"It will."I retorted quickly.His facial expression barely changed, but I could tell by the way he slightly tilted his head that I had reached some sort of curiosity within him.Before he could hide his interest, I quickly shot out, "Here, let me show you."I closed my eyes, rested my arms on the chair, and slowly began to suppress my ki, and lower my power level.

After a few seconds, I opened my eyes again, and saw that his mouth was now hung open slightly, and his eyebrows had risen to their regular levels."It's like you're not there, as if you've been wiped off the face of the planet."I nodded, and he questioned, "How did you do that?"

I regarded him closely, making sure he wasn't joking before answering, "I'm surprised Yoorabit hasn't taught his men that move.It's a great tactical advantage, in fact, its how I snuck up on you."It was true as well, I had snuck up on the battleground by pushing my ki as low as it could possibly go, riding on Nimbus the whole way, which luckily accepted my commands, obviously realizing part of me was indeed Cris.

Yush's face quickly turned back into a frown, "Teaching techniques used by the previous generation of Z Warriors is frowned upon by the Caprian army."

This caught me as both foolish and hypocritical.Foolish in that most of the manuevers used by the old Z Warriors were among some of the most powerful in history, and hypocritical in that, "What about the Masenko?"I asked, slightly confused.

He looked at me peculiarly, almost like I had asked something totally off topic, "What about it?"

"Well how did you learn that attack if you aren't allowed to use the old fighter's attacks?"

Yush regarded me as if I had just escaped from an insane asylum, "The Masenko is not an attack used in the old times."

"On the contrary," I corrected him, "it was used by Son Gohan for almost all of his childhood.I believe he stopped using it after Freeza had been killed, when he mastered the Kamehameha blast."

The Caprian just shook his head, "Not according to Caprian records."

I stored that tidbit of information for a later time, and decided to ward away from the history of the Z Warriors."You wanted to know how I lowered my ki, right?"

"Yes.As you said, being able to mask your true power can be a huge asset in battle."

I took in a deep breath, and then a wild lunge, "If you were to join us, we would teach you how to hide your energy."

"What?"He screamed at the top of his weakened voice, "Join you?"

"Yes."I replied calmly.

"You've got to be joking.I could never join with the likes of you."

"And why not?"

For just a split second, I saw nothing in Yush's eyes and he made no response, and in that instant, I found his weakness, "Because I am a member of the great Caprian army." He finally responded.

"Is that all?"I questioned, sensing a chance.

"Is that not enough?"

"No."I replied, and found him dumbstruck.Pausing a second to give him time to recoil, I continued, "Why are you part of the Caprian army?"

He hesitated for a moment, replying shakily, "A…all children of the species within the Caprian's reach are to be assessed for government job placement at the age of twelve.I was found to have an incredibly high potential for speed and ki control, so I was given the position of a military officer."

"That's it?"I asked.He nodded, and I continued, "Well, I guess that's a reason why you joined the military, but why are you in it?"He was obviously confused by the question, so I elaborated, "Why are you fighting for the Caprian alliance?Why did you come to Earth and try and capture the dragon balls?Do you genuinely believe in their cause?"I asked, not really knowing if there would be an answer.Luckily, there was none, other than Yush's confused and disturbed gaze.Seeing there would be absolutely no response, I tried another tactic, "Tell me then, what would you do if we were to let you go right now?"

Yush finally spoke again, his words coming out hesitant and uncertain, "I'd commander a space pod and fly back to the Caprian army."

"Why?" I wondered aloud.

It took him a few moments, but he replied, "I have very valuable information on the Earth's warriors."

I patronized him slightly, "But if your army is so powerful, they shouldn't need your information on us should they?"Yush remained silent, but broke the long gaze we'd held, opting to look at the wall instead.His silence spoke volumes, and I pressed on, "So then why go back?"I asked.

"It's my duty."He replied firmly, turning back to face me with a newfound confidence in his eye.

"Why is it your duty?"I practically screamed.His visage exhibited assurance, but underneath I knew I had him worried, and I was unrelenting, "You didn't choose to join the army for which you fight, so why do you continue to pledge allegiance to it?"He said nothing, and his temporary look of poise was quickly brought crashing to the ground."Do you truly understand what Yoorabit intends to do with the dragon balls?"

"Yes."

"And you condone it?"

"It doesn't matter if I excuse it or not."

"Why not?"

"It's not my place to make choices such as that one."

"Every living being is born with free choice.It's a basic right."

"Not for us."

I was half scared, half amazed, and half pissed off at the blinding stupidity of Yush's statements "Why not?"I shouted.

"It's not meant to be."

"But it is." I replied much softer this time.He opened his mouth to speak again, but I cut him off, "It sounds to me like your going to be fighting for something you don't even really believe in."

"I am merely a part of the machine that moves by Yoorabit's hand.I can make no difference in the long run of things."

"But you can Yush!"I yelled, "This war is going be fought with such low numbers that single men and women _are_ going to make the difference.Not a single life that's lost in this war is going to be a small one, and not a single one is going to be able to be replaced!"I paused, allowing him to digest the information, "This is for keeps Yush.This is final."

Yush's head dropped, his eyes closed, and he fell completely silent.I took in a deep breathe before taking my biggest risk of the day."A year and a half.That's how long we have until the first wave of the Caprians arrives.Until that day, we will be preparing for them, waiting for the time when we will finally find out who is the better group of warriors.I invite you, Yush," The instant I mentioned his name, he looked straight into my eyes with newfound wonder and interest, "to be a part of that battle.But not for the Caprians, instead stand for the group you know, in your heart, you want to battle alongside."

I stood up, sighed heavily, and looked down at my weakened foe, "In one day, we will take you off the ki-draining device we've hooked you up to.After that, you can make your own choice.If you want to fight with us, you can stay here and train with the other Z Warriors and I.If you want to rejoin your armada, we will provide you with a Capsule Corporation space pod, and you can make your way to the Caprian fleet.The choice is yours."

I slowly pivoted on my feet and began to head for the door.Just as I'd reached it and swung the flap open, Yush asked, just audibly, "Who are you?"

I stepped under the doorframe, pausing and thinking for a second before answering, "I'm Crono, but who are you?"I walked quickly out of the room, knowing he would not answer any time soon.

I quietly shut the door behind me, and found Phoenix and Gideon staring directly at me, their faces optimistic yet resolved."So what did you two want to talk to me about?" I asked, hoping that they wouldn't enquire as to what Yush and I had talked about in there.

I stared straight into Gideon's covered eyes, and saw nothing but , his voice was softer, but it still held a sort of edge in it, like he thought I was withholding something from him."It's about Triono."

"What about him?"I asked.

"Do you have his memories?"Phoenix suddenly enquired.I was about to answer but the black-haired saiyan cut me off, "I remember reading about how the fusion of the potarra gave the product all the memories of both of the participants.Is that true?"

"Y…yes."

"Even memories that the participants themselves may not have had access to in their lifetimes?Such as memories they had subconsciously suppressed or hidden within themselves?"

"Yes, I believe so.I, I haven't really thought about it very much."

"Then just answer us this one question:" Gideon interjected, taking a small recess before getting to the point, "Where did Triono come from?"

"You mean, how was he created?If there are no more saiyans left?"

"Yes."

I dropped my head, and thought back, delving into the pack of memories that had infested themselves within my brain.I thought as far back as I could within Triono's memory, before Cris and he had ever met, before he had found his mother dead, before he could even fight.Suddenly though, I hit something of a brick wall of memories, or lack of them.Everything before Triono's fifth birthday was a complete blank, like he had been sleeping throughout the first five years of his life.I couldn't understand it, and as I tried to force myself through this black barrier of emptiness, my head began to tinge with pain, like I was banging it on a wall or something.I continued to try and find Triono's memories before his fifth year of existence, but as I pushed harder and harder into my mind, the pain in my head intensified, until soon my entire skull was throbbing with pain.I gave up and let out a gasp of agony.Gideon hopped forward and placed a concerned hand on my shoulder, "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice dominated by distress.

I tried to blink the pain away, and ever so slowly, it receded, back to a bearable state."Yes, I'll be alright."I stammered out.

"What was wrong?"Phoenix exclaimed from seemingly far away.

I looked up at him, and saw the apprehension in his eyes as well, "I don't know," I answered back, "when I tried to remember anything past Triono's fifth birthday, a sudden pain came over me."

"Strange."Gideon mumbled, releasing his hand from my shoulder and standing up to his full imposing height.Once he stood tall, he asked, "You didn't find anything?"

"No."I answered, stunned by my own response.

"It was just a hope."Phoenix said off-handily.

"Well I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong."I said sheepishly.

"It's no problem, at least you tried."Gideon reassured me.

I nodded, but deep down, I felt the first real seed of doubt being planted inside me.I should've been able to access those memories, to find out how Triono had been born.It was maddening that I couldn't get to my own recollections, even if they were of another man's life.I knew that if I didn't find the answer to where Triono came from, I would probably go mad; but at the same time, I recognized that if I tried too hard to go back into the saiyans memories, I could risk hurting myself permanently.I decided to put off the mystery of Triono's identity for another day, when I wasn't busy trying to find my own.

Before I could get too deeply into my own thoughts, Gideon suddenly decided to change the subject, "Did you get anywhere with Yush?" He asked.

I considered it for a second, then grinned slightly and nodded, "Yeah," I replied, "I think so."


	34. Crono's Story (Chapter 33)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Chapter 33

Yush

_ _

"Are you almost ready, Mr. Trinity?"The young nurse asked me in a voice that bordered on genuine concern.I lacked the strength to do anything but nod, but even if I'd had the power to speak, the oxygen mask covering my mouth probably would've prevented my words from coming out coherently.A nod was sufficient enough for the young woman though, and she began to give me a tutorial on the workings of the regeneration chamber."Now, when I push this green button," she pointed towards a large green button on the outside of the tank, just inside my field of vision, "the tank you're in will begin to fill with a gelatinous mixture of healing components and a ton of your own DNA."I nodded again, wishing her to just get started already.I'd regained some of my strength, but the entire process of having my ki energy drained from me was a less than pleasant one.Even an hour after having the tube that had been bleeding me of my ki removed, I was still far weaker than I'd ever been before in my life."It may feel a little weird at first," the dirty blonde haired nurse continued on, "but…" I continued to listen to her babble on and on, although I was only half paying attention to her words.I'd been in a rejuvenation tank more than once in my life, and the experience was nothing particularly special or new to me.Still, the pretty young woman carried on, as if she was fascinated by the technology, and was presenting it more to herself than to me.I'd nearly had a fit when I was told by Karnai that a female nurse would be attending my time in the chamber, and therefore, see me completely naked.Though the female had blushed when she was aiding me in getting undressed for the dip in the tank, she dealt with it in a very businesslike manner, and was not intimidated in the least by me.

It was so very different from anything I had ever experienced before.On my home planet of Vannattasan, women were not even considered to be in the same league as the men.They were generally considered pieces of bric-a-brac that had no bearing in a man's life.They did the work around the house, and they pleasured the males, two simple yet demanding tasks.The women within the Caprian army were, to a high degree, the exact same.There were the rare few that were strong enough to make it as grunts within the front lines of the army, and even a singular officer who had a power level near a million; but besides that, their main role was to boost moral within the lower (and even upper) ranks.Here, on Earth, it was completely different.From what I had been able to discern, there was no distinct hierarchy of the sexes, almost as if they were even.Universal law stated that the strongest would hold the most power, yet here there was absolutely no distinction between male and female; they were even in the grand scheme of things.

"So, you're ready, right sir?"The short woman asked one final time.I nodded again, and then she smiled and pushed the green button.The pumps within and around the small, semi-transparent dome began to roar to life, and from two pipes to my right and left hand sides, a green, oil-like liquid began to pour out.It spread out over the floor, and it was warm upon my bare feet.As more and more of the stuff was forced into the compartment, the level of it began to rise steadily.The lightly tanned nurse smiled once more at me and then left me to my own thoughts.

The equality between the sexes was just the beginning of the differences between Earth and the other planets I had seen, all of which were under Caprian dictatorship.The cities on Earth were large, beautiful masterpieces of splendour.There was an almost perfect balance between the natural, green beauty of the plants and outside, and the man-made structures of the humans design.Most of the cities on Vannattasan consisted of a maze of tightly jammed together slums and ghettos.The people living in them were poor and usually didn't have enough money to scrounge up food for their families.Almost all of the people's money went to the government.In fact, the entire economy of the Caprian empire was geared towards the military; almost no thought was given to social aids or benefits.On Earth it was the complete opposite.Except for the Z Warriors, the planet didn't seem to have a single weapon of war.Instead there were buildings like the one I was currently in, and centres where people could buy healthy and plentiful food, and stores where children could be bought toys by their parents, and schools where children were taught skills other than how to survive each day.

The only real similarity I could see between the two opposite ways of life was the prestige of a soldier.On Vannattasan, boys like myself that were drafted into the military were seen as idols for others, and in that way it was similar to Earth, where the Z Warriors were looked up to by small children and adults alike.But the way in which people looked up to their heroes was totally different.Back at home, I was seen as an idol because I had a chance in life, a chance to escape the extreme poverty and maybe make enough money to keep my younger siblings and parents from wasting their lives in the high-pressure gas mines near my town.Here though, the Z fighters were idolized because of what they stood up for, because of how hard they worked, and because of their amazing powers.It was so dissimilar from what I was used to, that it almost made me sick.Yet, I couldn't help but feel that the Earth that I was seeing was what planets were supposed to look like; not like the desolate, decayed shells of dead land and poisoned water that many planets within the Caprian's boundaries appeared as.The really scary thing was that I'd helped turn some of those planets into those hunks of useless terrain.

The liquid was now pushing past my shoulders, and was continuing to rise.Before long, it had reached my mouth, which was still taking in oxygen through the mask and tube that was outfitted within the tank.By the time the green gel had reached my eyes, I'd firmly shut them close, it was easier to think that way.

The thought of betraying the only family I'd ever known was less than appealing, in fact it was downright sickening.Treachery resulted in death to those convicted of it within the Caprian army, and not in any quick painless death, but in public displays of torture and anguish.Higher-ups in the command chain even occasionally plucked a man at complete random from the lower ranks and would sentence them to a long duration of public torture, even if they were completely innocent; just to keep the weaker soldiers in order.I knew, I'd seen it happen to a "friend"/sparring partner of mine one day when I was still training to become an officer.My commander took him from the mess hall at the training center, and right there in the cafeteria, had both his legs ripped off, in front of all the other trainees.None of us had undergone any gravity training at that point, so we were helpless to do anything as his screams of agony pierced the air.The scary thought was that we probably wouldn't have helped him, even if we were strong enough to do something about it.

Such a thing could not occur on Earth.If a friend was in need, you aided them, even if you knew you would die in the process.I had seen it on the battlefield when Triel had floored the woman Z fighter.One of the human fighters flew in and protected his ally, even though he was quite a bit weaker than Triel.The tactic itself had stunned me, but what had really caught my attention was how bravely the man acted, as if he had never even considered letting his friend die.Caprian drill teachers taught you to play the numbers game, sacrificing another's life to save the majority, or even forfeiting your own life for the good of the army.This strategy tended to work on relatively easy and large-scale battles, but when facing a battle with smaller numbers, such as the one I'd had here, that simple rule did not apply.Even the loss of a single comrade was too great, and it often gave the enemy a tactical advantage.Realizing this, I was quite angered when Blanka took out his frustrations with Triel's failures when he blasted the Caprian into nothingness.But Blanka was an overconfident fool, whose only smart move that day was to escape.And it was that escape that started me thinking…

Crono was absolutely right, my commander's didn't need my information; they could probably get most of the important stuff from Blanka.Besides, we already had full readouts on all the Z Warriors, save one, and for the most part, those bios had been completely accurate.Except for Crono.We had absolutely nothing on him whatsoever.He was totally different than the rest of his allies.He fought with a passion and hollowness I had never seen before, even in my most deadly of teachers and allies.And the difference between him on the battlefield and him at peace was amazing.In combat, it was as if he was possessed by some sort of demon.I started to wonder, if Crono was right about that, maybe he was right about a few other things to.

Maybe, just maybe, this batch of closely-knit humans stood a chance against commander Yoorabit.Maybe, by some stroke of brilliance, they would defeat the entire Caprian army and keep the dragon balls out of Yoorabit's hands.If that were possible, it would be the greatest military feat in the entire universe's history.I had not been lying when I told Crono that he had no idea how powerful the Caprian army was.It had taken Earth's most powerful warrior, going beyond his max, to beat me, and I was just a lowly ensign, who had barely begun his gravity training.There were men a hundred times more powerful than me in the higher ranks, and almost all of them were placed in the second wave, from what I could recall.Crono and his friends could possibly defeat the first wave, but unless they had some sort of an ace up their sleeve, the second wave would all but finish them.Even after realizing this though, a thread of uncertainty had been woven into my mind, and I knew I would not get it out, not until the war was over, and a clear victor was established.

I knew Crono was mistaken about the Masenko though.My very first instructor had taught me that move, and he was one of the most loyal people anyone could ever meet, especially when it came to the empire.He could not have lied to me about the origins of the Masenko, he simply couldn't.But there was something in the way Crono spoke of it, with a sort of obvious certainty, which led me to believe that he was telling the truth.For all I knew, he could've been right.After all, readings on the old Earth warriors were banned from public and low-ranking military access.Only the highest-ranking officers had permission to see some of Son Goku's and Vegeta's old battles, or even read transcripts of them.The battle on the original Namek was even more closely guarded, although nobody but Yoorabit knew why.It seemed to me, through Yoorabit's public addresses, that he was trying to hide something very personal about that battle on Namek.Of course that was ridiculous since Yoorabit wasn't even born when the battle on Namek took place.Besides, there was very little to hide.Everyone knew that Namek was the place where Goku first turned into a Super Saiyan and defeated what was then the most powerful being in the universe, Freeza.

The green liquid had completely encompassed my body for some time, and I was quite literally floating in it.My feet no longer touched the metal flooring, and my entire body was tingling with the sensation as pieces of my own DNA saturated my pores and went deep down into my organs and muscle tissue.

The thing I was most scared of Crono being right about was whether I truly had a choice.The rules and regulations I had lived my life by up to this point had guided me nowhere, except for a rejuvenation chamber, and I knew they would continue to lead me nowhere if I followed them.Still, I had never known anything different, and just the idea of going beyond anything I had ever experienced before was almost…scary.

I felt like laughing.Not laughing over something funny, but laughing at myself.I was supposed to be one of the most talented and upcoming warriors in the Caprian army, and there I was, floating in a pool of green goop and scared of experiencing something new, like a frightened child.

But laughing would not prevent me from having to face the choice that was laid out in front of me.In all my years, I'd never been given a choice like the one that Crono had presented me with.The question was simple: Do I go or stay?But the path to the answer was far more complicated.Many of the questions Crono had raised burned in my mind, and I had answers to almost none of them.Did I really believe what Yoorabit was doing was right?Could I really live with myself if I passed up on this chance to save some of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen?Could I make a difference in the upcoming battle, on either side?I knew all the queries, but the responses were few and far between.I had so little time, basically until I was finished healing, and I had to make a decision.

I didn't really agree with what the Caprian army stood for, but since I was a child I had been taught that that was the way it was meant to be, and that I should not question it.But I had seen such a stark contrast on Earth, and I no longer knew for certain if what Yoorabit was doing was in any way for the good of the universe.I had almost fallen in love with both the natural and artificial magnificence of Earth, and to see it lain to waste was less than appealing.Though I genuinely wanted to see the Earth spared, I just couldn't see myself fighting for such a thing.And even if I did, I still doubted as to whether or not I could make a difference in the war.There were over a thousand troops in just the first wave of the Caprian army, and with number advantages like that, it would take either a huge mistake by the Caprians, or a brilliant scheme by the humans to keep the advancing onslaught of Yoorabit's men at bay.

My thoughts solved nothing though, and as I floated in the greenish liquid, feeling my power and strength slowly return to me, I could not come up with a clear solution.There were simply too many variables to consider when making a choice like the one I was forced to reach.I simply needed more time.

I quickly realized my stupidity.Time was my only true enemy in the decision making process, and I recognized I truly had plenty of it.Crono had given me the previous day and that day to come to my decision, but why could I not spend the next year and a half making that decision?I would train with the Z Warriors, and when the Caprians made their way to Earth, I would choose an allegiance, and fight with them on the battlefields of Earth.I wouldn't, no I couldn't, tell Crono.I would simply say that I'd decided to stay, and then after I had more time to think of it, I would make my decision the first day of the war.I knew deep down that I was just putting off the inevitable choice, but I also knew that any decision I made right then would probably be the wrong one.

With my mind somewhat at ease, I rested peacefully for the remainder of the time in the tank.Before long, the tiny nurse came back and asked, "Are you ready to come out Mr. Trinity?"I nodded yes, I was ready.


	35. Crono's Story (Yush Saga Epilogue)

Crono's Story

**_ _**

Yush Saga Epilogue

_ _

I stood on the pavement outside Rou Kaioshin's house, looking out into the red and blue sky, and for the first time in a long while, I felt a sense of pride in what I'd done.It may not have turned out how I'd originally planned it, but I knew both Cris and Triono had, and were going to, turn in major roles against the Caprians.Crono, I knew already, would be the bridge between the factions that existed in the Z Warriors.Goku had been the bridge in our generation, and now Crono would have to carry that burden for his.I knew it was too early to compare the two, but something within me saw a piece of Goku in Crono.

I sighed, but continued to just stare into the sky.Gohan and Videl were cooking up a sort of barbecue for all the saiyans, and I would probably join in.Tien was still sparring with Yamcha by the water well.Vegeta would probably be back from training for supper, especially if Bulma would be helping Chi-chi serve it up.They were my friends, and I loved them, but for the five years I'd spent back on Earth, I'd grown the need to once again defend my planet from the evil forces of the universe.I knew that the new generation of Z Warriors would do a much better job than I ever could, but something inside me wanted to go back and help them.

18 came up from behind me, I could hear the soft thud of her steps, stopped just a foot behind me, and whispered, "Don't worry, they'll be fine."

I wanted to turn and look at the woman I'd fallen in love with so long ago, but I just continued to gaze outwards, "I know."I replied after a long silence.18 put a soft hand on my shoulder, squeezed ever so slightly, and then bent down and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

"C'mon, let's go."She whispered once again.I nodded, and reluctantly pulled my eyes away from the sky, away from Crono and his friends, and away from the life I'd loved for so long.I took eighteen's hand in my own and we slowly walked back towards Kaioshin's house.I couldn't help myself though, and I took one last glance over my shoulder.My body was walking with my wife, but my heart was still left on Earth.


End file.
